Victor Wembanyama's 32-point performance helped the Spurs beat the Knicks in Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
The 7-foot-4 superstar has earned unusual respect from New York fans despite threatening their championship hopes.
Unlike past opponents who became villains, Wembanyama has charmed New York with his bookish habits.
AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.
Factually, Victor Wembanyama could have sent New York Knicks fans into fits of loathing. As the Knicks return to the Finals for the first time since 1999, when they were summarily dismissed by the San Antonio Spurs and the towering young superstar Tim Duncan, they find themselves facing the Spurs again and looking up — and up, and up — at an even younger, even more towering superstar: 22 years old and an extraordinarily long-limbed, game-warping 7 foot 4.