The 18-year-old Frenchman was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in first position for the 2023 draft on Thursday evening.
It was expected, it is now official. Victor Wembanyama was selected in first position in the NBA draft, on the night of Thursday June 22 to Friday June 23, by the San Antonio Spurs. Having become the first Frenchman in history to be chosen for this famous position, the former player of the Metropolitans of Boulogne-Levallois will therefore continue his career in Texas, in the footsteps of Tony Parker. But he did not wait for the comparison with his illustrious elder to make people talk about him. Franceinfo: sport lists five things you need to know about this phenomenon that is shaking up the basketball planet.
An extraordinary physique
Victor Wembanyama is first and foremost a physique that does not go unnoticed. At 19, he is 2.21 meters tall, five centimeters taller than another tricolor basketball giant, Rudy Gobert. The native of Nanterre has always stood out for his height. At eight years old, he already stood at 1.70 meters. In a photo shared by his training club, Nanterre, little Victor, 11 years old, and Spurs tunic on his shoulders, is already almost the same size as the coach who poses by his side.
Above all, and despite his size, Victor Wembanyama shows exceptional mobility in his game, thus combining power, technique and agility. “For example, we don’t necessarily expect a big man to put as many three-point baskets in all positions. He even puts them in motion”explained the coach of the France team Vincent Collet after his player’s remarkable performance against the G-League Ignite in October 2022. In recent years, the player has worked hard to try to erase the constraints of his size and hold on physically, especially in the NBA.
Insane statistics with Boulogne-Levallois
Before joining the NBA, Victor Wembanyama has already impressed this season in France. Voted the best player in the championship in 2023, he led the table in almost all statistics for the season in Betclic Elite. Top scorer (21.6 average points, 735 total), top rebounder (10.4 average, 354 total), top blocker (3 average, 103 total), and top rating (26), he has heavily weighed in the game and the course of the Mets.
The new Spurs player played and won the LNB All-Star Game in November 2022, where he was crowned MVP (best player). He also carried Boulogne-Levallois to the final of the French championship, lost against Monaco. “He is a winner, a competitor, he is of the race of champions. He is heading for even greater things, we were just a step for him”recognized his coach Vincent Collet after the last match of the final.
Already dubbed by the greatest
He has already caught the eye of the big names in the orange ball. Many glories of the big North American league have been amazed by the French prodigy. Starting with legend LeBron James. “No one has ever seen someone as tall, as fluid and as graceful as him on the court”explained in October 2022 the “King”, who was the first to qualify the Francilien “extraterrestrial”. “This young man is unique […] He will change the NBA and its franchise. I don’t know if we’ve ever seen someone so young with that kind of talent.” said Magic Johnson in February, after meeting him during the NBA game in Paris.
The young Frenchman is also recognized by current NBA stars, such as Kevin Durant, one of the best players in the world. “You can’t even describe it. You can’t even create someone like that. Even in NBA Live 99 you couldn’t create someone 2m21 […] How do you become someone who naturally plays basketball like that?”wondered the Phoenix Suns player last October.
An already very extensive track record
A generational talent, Victor Wembanyama made an impression very early on. From 2018, he was spotted by the American media ESPN who presents it as “developing unicorn”. Always outclassed, he made his professional debut at only 15, with Nanterre in the EuroCoupe. For his first two seasons of Betclic Elite, with Nanterre then Asvel, he won two trophies for best hope. In June 2022, a few months after his 18th birthday, he was crowned French champion with the club from the Lyon suburbs.
He is also talking about him internationally. He started showing himself in the eyes of the world during the U19 World Cup. Silver medalist with the young Blues, he is selected among the best players in the competition. It will only take him a little over an additional year to honor, at 18, his first selection with the A, against Lithuania.
A remarkable duel against Rudy Gobert
At 16, Victor Wembanyama was able to demonstrate all his talents during a high-level friendly duel against Rudy Gobert and Vincent Poirier. With his teammate from Nanterre Maxime Raynaud, he had challenged, for a “two against two”, the two players then in the NBA, respectively with the Utah Jazz and the Boston Celtics.
The young prodigy had spoken about his address, his qualities in dribbling and shooting. “In terms of talent, I think we’ve never seen that in France and even, frankly, I’ve rarely seen that in the world”praised Rudy Gobert on RMC a month after the duel. The video, shared on Nanterre’s Twitter account, had exceeded one million views, and helped to raise expectations around the Frenchman. Today, all the spotlights are well and truly turned towards him.