Ahead of his first game in the famed Madison Square Garden in New York, San Antonio Spurs top rookie Victor Wembanyama made some intriguing remarks about the venue.
"It's not as big as I expected. But still, the vibe is here. [It will] be a tough game. Physical and [in front of] passionate fans," the 19-year-old center said before their matchup against the New York Knicks on Wednesday, November 8.
Wembanyama would go on to have a subpar game in his debut in the world's most famous arena, putting up 14 points, shooting 4-of-14 from the field and 0-of-4 from three point distance.
The 7-foot-4 big man added nine rebounds, two assists, one block and three turnovers for the evening as the Spurs fell to the Knicks, 126-105.
With Wemby's first game at MSG having commenced, let's take a look at some of the NBA stars' debut in the famed New York venue.
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Michael Jordan
Jordan made his MSG debut on November 8, 1984 at the age of 21, putting up 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks on 15-of-22 shooting in 33 minutes of play.
The Bulls took a 121-106 win to improve to 5-2 for the season.
Tim Duncan
The greatest power forward and Spur of all time played his first regular season game in New York on March 31, 1998, dropping 25 points, 10 rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and a steal as the Spurs took a 95-78 victory.
It's worth noting that Duncan had already played in the venue a month prior as a reserve for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game, wherein he scored two points.
Kevin Durant
Durant, then the youngest player in the NBA, put up 30 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in his first game in the Madison Square Garden as the Seattle Supersonics took a tight 117-110 victory on December 12, 2007.
He scored 19 of those in the second half to help the Sonics pull away.
Stephen Curry
The Warriors guard experienced one of the most forgettable debuts by a star at MSG on November 13, 2009. Coming off the bench, he was unable to score, marking one of only five instances in his career where he has been held scoreless.
Curry played a total of two minutes and 35 seconds and wasn't able to get off a shot. He did not record any statistic aside from a block and a personal foul.
LeBron James
The NBA's all-time leading scorer played decent in his first game inside the halls of the Madison Square Garden on February 22, 2004, scoring 22 points, grabbing five boards, dishing out three assists and stealing the ball once. He shot 7-of-20 from the field and 8-of-12 from the free throw line.
It wasn't exactly an A+ game for James, but it was enough to get the Cavaliers a 92-86 victory, Big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas actually led Cleveland in scoring with 31 points, adding 15 rebounds and two blocks in the effort.
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