Victor Wembanyama set for record-breaking Spurs extension worth over $300 million originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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San Antonio Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama has established himself among the best players in the world.
The 22-year-old has led his team to the NBA Finals and is four wins away from earning the first ring of his career. It'd be quite an accomplishment for a Spurs team that is way ahead of schedule. Nonetheless, the Spurs aren't worried about that; they are worried about getting four more wins to be crowned champions.
After that (whether they get the job done or not), the focus will shift to Wembanyama's contract extension. The 2023 NBA Draft class is eligible to sign Rookie Scale contract extensions this offseason, and more likely than not, the Spurs and Wembanyama will agree to a deal.
If that happens to be the case, Keith Smith of Spotrac predicts Wembanyama's contract to be north of $300 million.
" In all the years that we’ve done this exercise this is arguably the easiest projection we’ve made. Wembanyama is getting everything. The full max, with the designated language and the elusive player option on his final season.
"Projection: Five years, $251,931,700 (25% of the cap), fifth-year player option; Designated Rookie language to bump the extension to five years, $302,318,040, fifth-year player option."
The largest contract in NBA history currently belongs to Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum, whose deal is worth $314 million.
Victor Wembanyama emerging as one of NBA’s true generational talents
Wembanyama could eventually pass that total, but it is unlikely they will with this upcoming extension. Nonetheless, the Frenchman deserves every penny.
Thus far in his career, he's been everything and then some to the Spurs and the game of basketball. Wembanyama is truly one of a kind with his incredible size, length, handle, shooting ability and imposing, intimidating defensive prowess.
The Spurs selected Wembanyama with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and it was a no-brainer. The international superstar entered the draft as one of the most hyped and highly touted NBA prospects since LeBron James in 2003.
He was labeled as a generational talent and an "alien" due to a rare combination of size and skill. Now, with the stellar play that he has displayed in the NBA, Wembanyama is set to make some big money entering the 2026-27 season.