The former club of Tony Parker and Boris Diaw inherited the first choice of the NBA Draft Tuesday, in Chicago, during the lottery. Barring a huge surprise, “Wemby” will therefore make his NBA debut with the Texas team.
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“Wherever I land, it’ll be a good place“. Asked a few days ago, Victor Wenbanyama was not particularly worried about knowing the results of the NBA lottery. The giant (2.21m) from Boulogne-Levallois still admitted a certain “excitement“at the idea of having, finally, “the revelation about (his) future“. It is indeed this Tuesday, in Chicago, that the draw took place which will determine the order of selection of the franchises during the Draft of June 22, in Brooklyn. However, there is little doubt that the 19-year-old French prodigy will be the first player called up by the big boss of the North American league, Adam Silver. Knowing that San Antonio inherited the first choice in the Draft, we can therefore say, without risk of being mistaken, that “Wemby” will begin his journey in the country of Uncle Sam under the colors of the Spurs. History is on. That of this club, that of this phenomenon that makes the NBA and fans around the world salivate, “a special guy» according to Kylian Mbappé.
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It must be said that the hype surrounding the native of Chesnay, trained in Nanterre and passed through Asvel last season, is exceptional. Its size and technical background, its shooting skills and its agility make it a unique package. Never seen ! You have to go back to LeBron James (2003) to see a player so eagerly awaited in the prestigious NBA. And again, at that time, the sounding board of social networks was not at all the same.
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An unprecedented hype
Realize that the NBA broadcast Wembanyama matches throughout the season! “You have to be careful with this young man who, as talented as he is, has not even been drafted yet, and is already seen as a great. It had been the same for LeBron, who effectively became one of the greatest in history.“, underlined Adam Silver last January. Careful ? The commissioner had added all the same:Victor has the potential to be at this level“. Strong. According to our colleague Adrian Wojnarowski fromESPNthe man who knows almost everything in the NBA, many leaders believe that the French “has the potential to be the best player in the league in his third year“. That’s what “Woj” indicated by way of introduction in the program during which the lottery was presented in the United States … Moreover, Wembanyama attended all that from Paris, he who played Tuesday evening with “hisMets 92, while most of the other draft candidates are hard at work in Chicago, including likely No. 2 Draft Scoot Henderson or Frenchmen Sidy Cissoko and Rayan Rupert.
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You only had to see Spurs boss Peter Holt, overjoyed at the time of the announcement, to understand … “I could pass out… I’m so excited!“, he ignited on ESPN. The scenes of joy seen at “Alamo City” are also telling (see tweet below)… Joy shared by the person concerned. “I will bring my qualities. I love Texas. I’ve been there before. I’m very happy, I can’t wait to meet the fans, the team I’m going to join in June“, rejoiced the French on ESPNafter having lived this moment that he “will never forgetwith his loved ones. “My heart beats fast“, he breathed, swearing to his future Texan fans to be”a team player” who will do “everything to win as many matches as possiblefrom next season.
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Remember that 14 teams were on the starting line for this lottery, the 14 who did not get their ticket for the play-offs. However, they did not start on an equal footing: Detroit, Houston and San Antonio, the best off, had a 14% chance, while New Orleans needed a miracle with 0.5%. These percentages were awarded based on the ranking of the franchises in question at the end of the 2022-23 regular season.
Popovich as a mentor
It was therefore ultimately San Antonio that hit the jackpot, as in 1987 with David Robinson and in 1997 with Tim Duncan. We can say that the Texas club has a lucky hand… “He does not choose but with (Gregg) Popovich and the Spurs, it can be not bad (smile). Afterwards, we already had “TP” (Tony Parker), he must write his own storyMbappé slipped on Tuesday evening. Finally, “Wemby” will fit well in the line of “TP”, within a franchise that serves as a model in terms of organization, seriousness. The Spurs are five NBA champion titles (1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2014) under the orders of “Pop”, still in charge at 74 years old. Obviously, the “small” Texan city – 1.5 million inhabitants all the same – does not have the attractions of New York or Los Angeles, but the important thing is elsewhere. Ile-de-France residents will find a haven of peace there, an ideal context for playing basketball, progressing and winning, even if the Spurs are starting from afar, let’s face it. They finished with the second-worst record of the 2022-23 season (22 wins, 60 losses). But it’s a new page that opens with the arrival of the French prodigy, a new era.
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Moreover, “Wemby” is not the type to want to take his time. Like Mbappé and this new generation of French stars who play leading roles on a global scale in different disciplines, he wants everything, right away. “I want to win a (champion) ring as soon as possible. Be ready (smile)“, he had fun, he who will already aim for the title of champion of France in the coming weeks with his club Boulogne-Levallois, during the play-offs, before setting out to conquer a charm at the 2023 World Cup in the colors of the France team. It promises…
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The 2023 Draft :
1. San Antonio
2.Charlotte
3.Portland
4.Houston
5. Detroit
6.Orlando
7.Indiana
8.Washington
9.Utah
10.Dallas
11. Orlando
12. Oklahoma City
13.Toronto
14. New Orleans