"Turned into OT Tatum" - Basketball fans hail Victor Wembanyama’s effort in France's dramatic overtime victory over Japan

San Antonio Spurs' young star Victor Wembanyama had a remarkable game against Japan at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The big man once again carried his team, France, to the promised land, securing a 94-90 win in overtime.

Japan gave France all they could handle until the final second, even without Rui Hachimura on the court. Wembanyama put on the cape and showed up for his team, scoring eight points in overtime to secure the second win of the competition for his national team.

The young player finished the game with 18 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks against a very competitive Japanese squad.

After the final buzzer, Wembanyama was lauded by fans on social media, gaining a lot of praise for his performance. Some fans compared him to established stars in the NBA like Jayson Tatum and LeBron James.

Other fans made strong predictions about Victor Wembanyama ahead of his second season in the NBA.

"Wemby will be the face of the league!!! Few more years! The kid is an [alien]," one fan said.

"This guy is literally gonna be in the goat convo in 20 years," another fan predicted.

A group of fans lauded him for his versatility and how he took over the game.

"My demonnnnn. He can do it all," one fan emphatically said.

"Unstoppable bro," another fan added.

Victor Wembanyama, France won amid controversy surrounding Rui Hachimura

As great as this victory was, Victor Wembanyama and France weren't free from controversy. With 8:31 minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter, the referees blew the whistle over an unsportsmanlike foul by Rui Hachimura. The LA Lakers star pulled Rudy Gobert's arm down as he got up to attempt a layup.

What started as a regular basketball play was considered an unsportsmanlike foul by the referees, who ejected Hachimura from the game after the second foul of this type.

This didn't sit well with plenty of fans, who thought France got an unfair advantage from the referees. Hachimura left the game after scoring 24 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, 3-for-5 from beyond the arc and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.

It's pretty clear that Victor Wembanyama stole the show in overtime, but fans will likely bring up this factor when discussing the performance by the Spurs' young star.