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Victor Wembanyama ‘hopes to be better than Shawn Bradley,’ says Olden Polynice

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated28 Sep 2023

San Antonio Spurs Victor Wembanyama hopes to be better than Shawn Bradley, says Olden Polynice

San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama — the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft — is labeled a generational talent by many, but former NBA player Olden Polynice believes the 7-foot-3 rookie would be lucky to become a better player than Shawn Bradley.

Over the weekend, Tim Hardaway Sr. declared that Phoenix Suns center Bol Bol is a more dominant player than the highly touted French prospect. Polynice echoed Hardaway’s statements. “He hopes to be better than Shawn Bradley in my opinion. I’m serious,” Polynice said on Fox Sports Radio.

According to a few NBA betting sites, the San Antonio Spurs hold 19th-ranked odds to win next season’s championship in 2024. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves.


“I’m not even putting him in the Yao Ming category right now,” Polynice added. “Guys like that, they’re over 7-5 and just shot blockers. He’s going to try to do all the stuff he was doing overseas. It’s going to be very difficult for him to do in the NBA.”

Victor Wembanyama played with Nanterre 92, a professional French basketball club of the LNB Pro A from 2019 to 2021. In June 2021, the Frenchman signed a three-year contract with ASVEL of the Pro A and EuroLeague. Wembanyama then played for the Metropolitans 92 in the 2022-23 Pro A season.

NBA bust Olden Polynice says No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama would be fortunate to become a better player than former Dallas Mavericks big man Shawn Bradley

Wembanyama finished his professional basketball career in Europe as a three-time Pro A Best Young Player (2021-23), two-time LNB All-Star (2021, 2022), LNB All-Star Game MVP (2022), Pro A champion (2022), Pro A Best Scorer (2023), Pro A Best Defender (2023), and Pro A MVP (2023).

The No. 1 overall pick made his Summer League debut in San Antonio’s 98-77 win over the Charlotte Hornets earlier this month. The two-time LNB All-Star scored nine points on 2-of-13 shooting and missed each of his first five 3-point attempts, in addition to committing three turnovers.

In the Spurs’ 85-80 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the 7-footer recorded 27 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks while shooting 9-of-14 from the field.

Bradley, a 7-foot-6 center, was selected second overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1993 NBA Draft out of BYU. The highlight of Bradley’s 12-year career was leading the league in blocks (228) in the 2000-01 season.


Despite appearing in 832 games over the course of a dozen seasons, Bradley fell short of pre-draft expectations. NBA scouts anticipated multiple All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive selections in his pro future.

Meanwhile, Olden Polynice had a decent 15-year career in the NBA. However, fans only seem to remember the 6-foot-11 center as the player who the Chicago Bulls traded to the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1987 NBA Draft for Scottie Pippen.

Chicago traded Polynice and a 1989 first-round draft pick (Jeff Sanders was selected) to the SuperSonics. In exchange, Seattle received a 1988 second-round draft pick (Sylvester Gray was selected) and a 1989 first-rounder (B.J. Armstrong was selected).

Although everybody is a critic, Victor Wembanyama could still go on to have a successful NBA career. Shaquille O’Neal is the textbook example. Fans already knew Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were bound for greatness after they were drafted out of high school.

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