Frenchman Victor Wembanyama set a new record for blocks in an NBA playoff game on Monday (4), with 12 blocks in the San Antonio Spurs’ 104-102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The previous record of 10 blocks was shared by three players: Mark Eaton (1985), Hakeem Olajuwon (1990) and Andrew Bynum (2012).
Wembanyama achieved the record with his eleventh block, deflecting an Anthony Edwards shot under the basket with eight minutes, 29 seconds left in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals.
The 2.24 meter giant completed an unusual triple-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds, in addition to dishing out 5 assists.
Wembanyama and his compatriot Rudy Gobert soon set the defensive pace after the start of the match at the Frost Bank Center, recording three consecutive blocks, two of them from the Spurs star.
On offense, however, Wembanyama struggled, making just 5 of 17 shots from the field and 0 of 8 from three points.
“It’s my responsibility, because obviously I didn’t feel good about my game today, and in these moments the team expects me to help,” said Wembanyama, making a self-criticism of his offensive performance.
“Obviously, we need to improve. We need to find out in the next 48 hours what we can do better. And I have no doubt that we will do it,” he emphasized.
The Frenchman, considered the player with the greatest potential in the NBA since LeBron James, is competing in his first playoffs at the age of 22, after an extraordinary season that earned him the Best Defensive Player of the Year award, thanks to averages of 25 points, 11.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks.
Aside from the playoffs, the record for blocks in a regular season game belongs to Elmore Smith, with 17 in 1973, the year the NBA began recording this statistic.
