The time has come for Victor Wembanyama to make his NBA debut.
The No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Wembanyama joins the Spurs as one of the most hyped prospects in NBA history. He entered the NBA after a dominant season in France, and he showcased his incredible potential in both Summer League and preseason games.
Now, it's time for the real fun as Wembanyama embarks on his first full season in the league.
All eyes will be on Wembanyama when he plays his first regular season game on Wednesday. If his performance in preseason is a sign of what's to come, he could put up some big numbers.
With that in mind, here's the type of damage Wembanyama would have to do against the Mavericks to crack the list of the highest-scoring debuts in NBA history.
MORE: The Sporting News ranks the top 30 players in the NBA
Who scored the most points in an NBA debut?
The record for most points scored in an NBA debut is held by — who else? — Wilt Chamberlain.
On Oct. 24, 1959, Chamberlain scored 43 points in his first-ever NBA game. He's the only player in league history to break 40 points to start an NBA career.
A total of eight players have scored 30 or more points in their debuts, a list headlined by Maurice Stokes, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson and Lamar Odom. Odom was the most recent player to join the list, scoring 30 points in his debut in 1999.
Here is the list of highest-scoring debuts in NBA history:
| Rank | Player | Points | Year |
| 1. | Wilt Chamberlain | 43 | 1959 |
| 2. | Frank Selvy | 35 | 1954 |
| 3. | John Drew | 32 | 1974 |
| Maurice Stokes | 32 | 1955 | |
| 5. | Isiah Thomas | 31 | 1981 |
| 6. | Willie Anderson | 30 | 1988 |
| Allen Iverson | 30 | 1996 | |
| Lamar Odom | 30 | 1999 | |
| 9. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 29 | 1969 |
| Walt Bellamy | 29 | 1961 | |
| Gordan Giriček | 29 | 2002 | |
| 12. | Danny Finn | 28 | 1953 |
| 13. | Ron Anderson | 27 | 1984 |
| Paolo Banchero | 27 | 2022 | |
| Chris Duarte | 27 | 2021 | |
| Bobby Jackson | 27 | 1997 | |
| Jerry Stackhouse | 27 | 1995 | |
| P.J. Washington | 27 | 2019 | |
| 19. | Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf | 26 | 1990 |
| Darrell Griffith | 26 | 1980 | |
| Cleo Hill | 26 | 1961 | |
| Magic Johnson | 26 | 1979 | |
| Donyell Marshall | 26 | 1994 | |
| Jahlil Okafor | 26 | 2015 | |
| Mitchell Wiggins | 26 | 1983 |
How many points did LeBron James score in his NBA debut?
The No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, LeBron James made his highly anticipated debut on Oct. 29, 2003.
James played a total of 43 minutes, finishing with 25 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals. It wasn't enough to defeat the Kings, who beat the Cavaliers by a final score of 106-92. You can watch the entire game here.
James went on to average 20.9 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game in his rookie season.
