Victor Wembanyama has the most games with 5+ blocks before age 21 in NBA history

San Antonio Spurs rookie forward/center Victor Wembanyama has recorded 20 career games with at least five blocks in each, the most in NBA history before turning 21 years old.

Shaquille O’Neal ranks second on the all-time list with 19 games, followed by Anthony Davis (14), Josh Smith (13), and Kevin Garnett (10). Wembanyama’s 20th game was logged Tuesday night.

In San Antonio’s 113-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the 7-foot-4 big man posted 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and six blocks in 32 minutes of action. It was his 37th career double-double.

Per multiple NBA betting sites, Wembanyama is the odds-on favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year. Sportsbooks are still showing great odds for Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren.

Most games in our database with 5+ blocks before turning 21:

1. Victor Wembanyama (20)
2. Shaquille O’Neal (19)
3. Anthony Davis (14)
4. Josh Smith (13)
5. Kevin Garnett (10) pic.twitter.com/1qgobthoPN

— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) March 20, 2024

“Give San Antonio credit,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “They are long, they are active, and they have a guy [Wembanyama] that can block or swipe a lot of shots.”

San Antonio trailed by 13 points in the first half. However, the Spurs went on to have 11-0 runs to open the third quarter and early in the fourth. In fact, the latter run gave the Spurs a 95-93 lead with 6:57 remaining.

“We made all kinds of mistakes, but so did they and they want to win a championship,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Our goal is to get better every game individually and team-wise, and they did that. I’m really proud of what they did.”

San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama recorded a career-high 10 blocks against Toronto Raptors

In San Antonio’s 122-99 loss against the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 12, Wemby notched 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a career-high 10 blocks in 28 minutes played.

Of course, the Frenchman became the fifth NBA player since 1990 to register a triple-double with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a single game.

At just 20 years old, he became the youngest player to accomplish this feat by two years — joining Hakeem Olajuwon (age 27, 33), David Robinson (age 25, 25, 28), Dwight Howard (age 22), and Anthony Davis (age 25).

Most blocks per game all-time:

3.5 — Victor Wembanyama
3.5 — Mark Eaton
3.3 — Manute Bol
3.1 — Hakeem Olajuwon
3.0 — David Robinson

Will Wemby’s career break the record? pic.twitter.com/96ZrBFiwE4

— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) March 19, 2024

It was also the first triple-double with blocks since Clint Capela had 13 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 blocks for the Atlanta Hawks against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 22, 2021.

Additionally, Olajuwon has the most such triple-doubles with blocks. He did it 11 times, one more than Hawks legend Dikembe Mutombo and two more than Robinson.

Through 61 games (all starts) this season, Wemby is averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 steals, an NBA-leading 3.5 blocks, and 29.1 minutes per game. He’s shooting 46.4% from the field, 32.3% from 3-point range, and 80.5% at the foul line as well.

The Spurs host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.