Overview

• ESPN’s Top 100 for 2025–26 places Wembanyama at No. 5, ahead of stars including LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards after debuting at No. 11 last year.
• The placement drew pushback over his lack of playoff résumé, with ESPN’s Jamal Collier arguing top 10 is premature despite acknowledging Wembanyama’s talent.
• Wembanyama was medically cleared in July following a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis that ended his season after 46 games and 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and an NBA‑leading 3.8 blocks per game.
• ESPN’s Jorge Sedano predicted Wembanyama will win both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, framing DPOY as likely with enough games and MVP as contingent on a top‑six Spurs seed.
• San Antonio has reinforced its build around him, extending De’Aaron Fox on a four‑year, $229 million deal to anchor the primary pairing.