Current:Home > reviewsNo. 1 picks Victor Wembanyama and Connor Bedard meet: The long and short of it -Wealth Nexus Pro
No. 1 picks Victor Wembanyama and Connor Bedard meet: The long and short of it
View
Date:2025-04-14 20:40:41
Connor Bedard and Victor Wembanyama were giants of pre-draft hype in their respective sports, and it paid off for the generational talents.
Bedard was taken No. 1 overall by the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks and Wembanyama went first to the NBA's San Antonio Spurs after those teams won their sport's draft lottery.
But Bedard is on the small side for an NHL player, and Wembanyama is tall – really tall – for an NBA player. They had a chance to meet on Thursday with the Spurs in Chicago to face the Bulls.
The size difference is pretty amazing, with Bedard not even coming close to Wembanyama's shoulder. Here's the long and short of their visit:
How tall are Victor Wembanyama and Connor Bedard?
Wembanyama is 7-foot, 4 inches, tied for the tallest player currently in the NBA with Houston Rockets center Boban Marjanovic. Those two are 7 inches taller than the tallest player in NHL history, 6-9 Zdeno Chara.
Bedard is 5-10. He wouldn't be the shortest if he played in the NBA this season. That status goes to Toronto Raptors guard Markquis Nowell at 5-7.
What did Bedard and Wembanyama do during their meeting?
Bedard showed Wembanyama how to take shots on net. The NBA rookie won a faceoff from Bedard.
What do two generational talents say to each other?
They had heard of the other person before their meeting. Wembanyama said he had not watched a full hockey game but, "I love when people just start fighting. It just looks out of this world." Asked if he had been in a fight, Bedard said he hadn't and explained that fighting isn't as prevalent nowadays as it was in the 1980s.
How are Bedard and Wembanyama doing in their first seasons?
Both are in the mix for rookie of the year. Bedard entered Thursday's games leading all NHL rookies with 12 goals, 16 assists and 28 points. He was nine points ahead of runner-up Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Wembanyama, heading into Thursday, leads NBA rookies in points (19.0), rebounds (11.0), blocks (3.0) and steals (2.7) per game. He's second in minutes per game. Oklahoma City's Chet Holmgren also is among the rookie of the year favorites.
How are their teams faring?
The NBA and NHL are team sports, and one sensational rookie won't turn around a lottery team. The Spurs are last in the Western Conference at 4-22. The Blackhawks are second to last in the NHL with a 10-20-1 record.
veryGood! (539)
Related
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Tim McGraw, Chris Stapleton, more celebrated at 2023 ACM Honors: The biggest moments
- Horoscopes Today, September 18, 2023
- MATCHDAY: Man City begins Champions League title defense. Barcelona looks for winning start
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Judge to decide if former DOJ official's Georgia case will be moved to federal court
- Melinda French Gates calls maternal deaths in childbirth needless, urges action to save moms, babies
- Historic banyan tree in Maui shows signs of growth after wildfire
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Federal investigators subpoena Pennsylvania agency for records related to chocolate plant explosion
Ranking
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- China tells foreign consulates in Hong Kong to provide personal data of all local staff
- Judge to decide if former DOJ official's Georgia case will be moved to federal court
- Baylor settles years-long federal lawsuit in sexual assault scandal that rocked Baptist school
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Prince William sees oyster reef restoration project on NYC visit for environmental summit
- International Criminal Court says it detected ‘anomalous activity’ in its information systems
- Nexstar, DirectTV announce multi-year deal for CW, NewsNation and local channels
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Poet Afaa Michael Weaver wins $100,000 award for lifetime achievement
'Real Housewives' star Shannon Beador arrested for drunk driving, hit-and-run
Indian lawmakers attend their last session before moving to a new Parliament building
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Blinken meets Chinese VP as US-China contacts increase ahead of possible summit
Rudy Giuliani sued by former lawyer, accused of failing to pay $1.36 million in legal bills
Ukraine lawyers insist that UN’s top court has jurisdiction to hear Kyiv’s case against Russia