Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs look on. Michael Gonzales / NBAE via Getty Images
When Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA, he was described as a Kevin Durant clone offensively … who just happened to be 7-foot-4.
In Friday night’s nationally televised NBA Cup game against Durant’s Houston Rockets, Wemby made a play over the man he’s long admired that he won’t soon forget. Taking a pass from San Antonio Spurs teammate Devin Vassell, Wembanyama caught Durant rotating slowly, dunking over the veteran superstar with two hands to ignite the San Antonio crowd in the thir…
Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets and Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs look on. Michael Gonzales / NBAE via Getty Images
When Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA, he was described as a Kevin Durant clone offensively … who just happened to be 7-foot-4.
In Friday night’s nationally televised NBA Cup game against Durant’s Houston Rockets, Wemby made a play over the man he’s long admired that he won’t soon forget. Taking a pass from San Antonio Spurs teammate Devin Vassell, Wembanyama caught Durant rotating slowly, dunking over the veteran superstar with two hands to ignite the San Antonio crowd in the third quarter.
VICTOR. WEMBANYAMA. POSTER. 👽👽👽
🏆 HOU-SAS • West Group C 📺 @emirates NBA Cup on Prime: https://t.co/oVMFjA6yYb pic.twitter.com/DXoGbeYDgx
— NBA (@NBA) November 8, 2025
But KD got his protégé back a few possessions later. On a third-quarter drive, Durant split a pick-and-roll, surged down the middle of the lane past Wembanyama and uncorked a big dunk in its own right.
KD DOWN THE LANE 💥 pic.twitter.com/yMWR7t1x62
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) November 8, 2025
Which one is better? On the one hand, Wembanyama’s dunk over Durant was actually over Durant, whereas Durant’s dunk was more in space with Wemby nearby. On the other hand, Durant is nearly 40, and guys who are nearly 40 years old shouldn’t be able to move like Durant does.
Either way, it’s cool to see the future of the NBA meet its present and past in such a forceful manner. One of the advantages of players like Durant, LeBron James and Steph Curry remaining top-10-level stars for so long is that the league has had an easier bridge for its faces of the league than almost ever before.
KD SLAM TO RESPOND FOR HOUSTON 🚀🚀🚀 https://t.co/7my1vLJa0z pic.twitter.com/cKfoKvBz2C
— NBA (@NBA) November 8, 2025
Nov 8, 2025
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Tony Jones is a Staff Writer at The Athletic covering the Philadelphia 76ers and the NBA. A native of the East Coast and a journalism brat as a child, he has an addiction to hip-hop music and pickup basketball, and his Twitter page has been used for occasional debates concerning Biggie and Tupac. Follow Tony on Twitter @Tjonesonthenba