Redick calls Wembanyama ‘top 5 player in the world’ after Spurs vs Lakers

There are dominant performances, and then there are alien invasions.

On Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, Victor Wembanyama didn’t just beat the Los Angeles Lakers — he dominated the game. Wembanyama, affectionately known as “The Alien,” a nickname given to him by LeBron James, scored 40 points in just 26 minutes while James, Austin Reaves, and Luka Doncic watched from the Lakers bench.

By the time the Spurs finished dismantling the Lakers 136-108, the only suspense left was whether Wembanyama would remain in the game long enough to go for 50. He wouldn’t.

Lakers head coach J.J. Redick didn’t bother with coach-speak afterward. He went straight to the truth:

“He’s one of the five best players in the world,” Redick said. “He’s put that stamp on himself. To me, it’s more than the counting stats with him because there’s such an avoidance of him defensively, and there’s an awareness you have to have with him defensively.”

That word — avoidance — says everything.

NBA defenses don’t guard Wembanyama. They orbit around him. They tilt entire schemes in his direction. He scored 25 in the first quarter alone, slicing through double-teams, stepping into threes, finishing above the square as if gravity were optional.

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At 7-foot-4 with guard skills and a defensive radius that swallows space whole, Wembanyama bends the geometry of basketball. He’s not just producing All-Star numbers; he’s reshaping the league as we know it.

The San Antonio Spurs no longer have a rising star. They have a global force. And after nights like this, even opposing coaches are forced to admit what the league already knows: the future isn’t coming.

It’s already here.