Wemby, Hakeem And History Of The 5x5 Games

Wemby was the GREATEST DRAFT PROSPECT since LeBron James & he's STRUGGLING! 🗣️ - Perk | NBA Today

After hearing talking heads dissect and criticize his game after a 1-for-5 shooting performance against the Thunder, Victor Wembanyama responded with a performance and fantasy stat line that reminded people why he's considered an Alien.

In a win against the Jazz, Wemby put up a rare 5x5 line: 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks. The line also made him just the third person in NBA history to record multiple 5x5 games.

The other members of this small club are Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon and Andrei "AK-47" Kirilenko. What makes Wemby's second 5x5 exceptional is he was one three-pointer short of becoming the first player in NBA history with a 6x5 game.

IS THE 6X5 POSSIBLE?

If you would have asked me this question before Wemby entered the league, I would have said, "Hell no!" Dream has never made more than one three in a game, and AK's career-high in threes is 5. So, the odds of AK tying his career high in threes while pulling off a line he's only been able to do twice in 13 years is almost zero.

Out of the 11 other players that have pulled off a 5x5, the only ones that ever made five or more threes in a game are Jusuf Nurkic (1x) and Nicolas Batum (41). Batum was the best candidate to become the first with a 6x5 game, but since his career high in blocks is five and he's only had one 5x5 in 19 seasons, it's unlikely he would have a second while knocking down five threes.

The question isn't "If?" with Wemby, it's "When?" He's only played 76 career games, has two 5x5 games, and was one assist short of having another last season (19 PTS, 13 REB, 5 BLK, 5 STL, 4 AST). He's also made five threes in a game three times and four threes in a game 6 times.

I initially thought the only reason he might not pull this off was if he started taking fewer threes, but in the games with five, he shot 71, 50, and 42 percent. I do have to mention that he attempted a career-high 13 in the 5x5 game.

Victor Wembanyama's SECOND 5x5 Game | 10.31.24

WHAT ABOUT CHET?

I don't see Chet Holmgren ever getting the 6x5. And I see him getting a 5x5 with threes before I see him getting the more common 5x5 (PTS/REB/AST/STL/BLK). In 86 career games, he's already had 8 games with 5+ blocks and two with 5+ threes. But his career high in steals is just three, and he's only done it once.

With that said, if Chet was playing on a terrible team and decided to become a selfish stats guy, he might put up a 6x5.

THE FIRST 5X5 GUYS

WILT CHAMBERLAIN

Blocks and steals weren't being kept before 1972, so I wouldn't be surprised if Wilt somehow had 50 of them while breaking records on and off the court. The Big Dipper reportedly once pulled off a quintuple-double in 1968: 53 points, 32 rebounds, 24 blocks, 14 assists, and 11 steals. If this is even close to being true, he probably pulled off multiple 5x5 lines during the first half of games.

BILL RUSSELL

I'm sure Wilt's nemesis also had a few unofficial ones. He once had an unofficial quadruple-double in 1961 (against Wilt) with 15 points, 25 rebounds, 15 steals, and 13 blocks. Considering he's had 17 triple-doubles with assists, I wouldn't be surprised if a guy who could get 15 steals or blocks in a game could pull off a 5x5.

JULIUS ERVING

Since 1970, Dr. J has been the only player besides Dream, AK, and Wemby to have multiple 5x5 games, but two of his came during the ABA. I often call Erving one of the most underrated basketball greats ever.

Most of that has to do with things you can't see in a boxscore, but what you could see was damn impressive:

• 32 PTS, 8 AST, 7 REB, 7 BLK, 5 STL
• 31 PTS, 19 REB, 5 BLK, 5 AST, 5 STL
• 28 PTS, 10 AST, 7 REB, 5 BLK, 5 STL

THE KING OF THE 5X5

Hakeem Olajuwon is another player who is becoming more underrated or unappreciated as time passes. Last year, the internet was in an uproar over the 2 x NBA Champion charging tens of thousands of dollars to train NBA players who make tens to hundreds of millions; this would be like me complaining about buying a new tie for a job interview that will increase my salary and career opportunities.

Hakeem is the all-time leader in blocks and is in the top 15 in points, steals, and rebounds. He's not just the owner of one of the four official quadruple-doubles; he had another one during the same season, but the NBA took it away after accusing the Rockets of stat-padding. As for 5x5 games, look at these.

• 38 PTS, 17 REB, 12 BLK, 7 STL, 6 AST
• 34 PTS, 10 REB, 8 BLK, 5 STL, 5 AST
• 33 PTS, 13 REB, 5 AST, 5 BLK, 5 STL
• 29 PTS, 18 REB, 12 BLK, 10 AST, 5 STL
• 24 PTS, 19 REB, 6 AST, 5 BLK, 5 STL
• 19 PTS, 13 REB, 6 AST, 5 REB, 5 STL

And here's the official quadruple-double

• 18 PTS, 16 REB, 11 BLK, 10 AST, 1 STL

NBA Legends Explain How Good PRIME Hakeem Olajuwon Was

Check out this chart from NBAHoopsonline.com showing 5x5 games since 1973.