The “alien” has arrived to the NBA, and is looking as out of this world already
Victor Wembanyama, hailing from France, has been on the radar of basketball fans for the past several years, developing into the most highly touted prospect since LeBron James heading into the 2023 NBA Draft. The San Antonio Spurs were the lucky winners of the NBA Lottery, getting the number one pick and the rights to draft the generational prospect. Wembanyama was welcomed by the City of San Antonio and it’s legends, being mentored by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili. After limited run in the NBA Summer league, where we saw flashes of brilliance but looked like “Wemby” was just getting his feet wet to the NBA game. In the preseason, the French Phenom is started to look like he might just “break the league”. The freakish 7’4” Wembanyama is moving unlike anybody we have seen at that size, hitting threes, step-backs, blocking shots, dropping assists out of the double, and everything in between. A moment that stuck out so far was when Wembanyama “nutmegged” (dribbling a ball between a defender’s legs) Reggie Bullock. This sly move is typically only seen from undersized(!) guards, so to see 7’4” Wembanyama pull it off is almost terrifying for the rest of the league. While it has been a trend to find tall players with guard-like skills ever since Kevin Durant entered the league, breaking the mold for what 7 footers are capable of, Wemby shatters that mold with proportions and athleticism that hardly makes sense, hence why he’s been referred to as an “alien”. Barring injury, the French prodigy could bring the Spurs back to relevance on the court immediately and have a direct economic impact on the city of San Antonio and the league as a whole. Nike was the fortunate brand to sign Wembanyama, supposedly to a $100 million dollar deal that is expected to eclipse the deal LeBron James signed 20 years ago with the Swoosh. The NBA may just have it’s next generational superstar in Wembanyama, who makes his regular season debut tonight at 9:30 ET against the Dallas Mavericks.