In his first-ever playoff run, Victor Wembanyama has seen a level of success that most young stars can only dream of, as he led the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals. A historic feat for a 22-year-old in just his third NBA season.
Now, to many Suns fans, this story sounds quite familiar, as a 24-year-old Devin Booker accomplished this same feat in his first playoffs, leading the Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021.
It's a short list of stars that have accomplished such a feat in NBA history, including basketball legends like Magic Johnson, Julius Erving, and Bill Russell.
Booker's most-coveted record from that run still holds strong
However, the one record that Devin Booker holds over the rest on that list is: most points scored in a player's first NBA playoffs, with 601 total points in 2021. The next-most is 521 points by Rick Barry in 1967.
Wemby still has one more round to go, so he has a shot at breaking that record held by Booker, but it's a long shot. With 394 points so far, that 207-point gap means he would theoretically need to average over 29.6 points across a 7-game NBA Finals series. Barring a miraculous showing by Wemby, Booker's record is safe.
Stark parallels between the 2026 Spurs and 2021 Suns
The parallels between the 2026 Spurs and 2021 Suns don't end there, either. Beyond being led by young stars, both teams feature a veteran point guard alongside a young core of homegrown talent. Wemby's veteran co-star, De'Arron Fox, is helping lead a young core of Devin Vassell, Stephon Castle, and Dylan Harper, as did Chris Paul with the young core of Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and Cameron Johnson.
And it's not just the roster structure, as they both followed similar paths to get to the Finals. They each took down the reigning champs, with the Spurs beating the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals and the Suns beating the Lakers in Round 1. They both also took down that season's MVP along the way, with the Spurs beating Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in that same matchup and the Suns sweeping Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in the Western Conference Semifinals.
On top of it all, the Spurs' opponent in the 2026 NBA Finals, the New York Knicks, also features a key member of that 2021 Suns team, Mikal Bridges.
Although it may be a long road back to the grand stage for the Suns, this NBA Finals matchup will entertain, while evoking a sense of nostalgia for Suns fans watching.
Add us as a preferred source on Google