Victor Wembanyama’s journey is beginning to resemble that of Tony Parker. Like his legendary elder, the French basketball prodigy will indeed certainly make his big debut in the NBA at the San Antonio Spurs, who inherited the first choice in the draft lottery and should not fail to select him.
It was around 2:30 a.m. in Paris when Mark Tatum, vice-president of the NBA traditionally in charge of this mission, revealed the name of the happy franchise to the cameras, after a process combining probability and chance which gave him initially 14% chance of winning this lottery, the maximum possible. Surrounded by his family and friends, including Kylian Mbappé, during an evening organized for the occasion, “Wemby” attended this event, which already seems to be making its way into the NBA, where he will make his debut in October.
Wembanyama wants his champion’s “ring”
“I can’t really describe how I feel, my heart is racing. I have everyone I love around me, it’s a really special moment that I will remember all my life. I am a team player, I will do everything to win as many matches as possible. I want to try to get a (champion) ring as soon as possible, so be ready, ”he reacted hotly to the microphone of the American media giant ESPN.
Bluffing by his ease in managing the enormous expectations around the young man that he is still 19 years old, in recent months, Wembanyama could not hide his emotion. Admittedly, he will only officially know his destination in five weeks, during the annual high mass of the draft, organized on June 22 in Brooklyn. But that evening, barring a huge surprise, his name will be spoken first by league commissioner Adam Silver, who will thus reveal the choice of Spurs.
He is indeed the most highly rated of the 60 candidates who will be recruited one by one, over two rounds, by the 30 franchises of the highest championship in the world. And therefore the most coveted. And we can not imagine the Spurs setting their sights on a player other than him, among the 60 hopes from American universities, the G-League (minor league, antechamber of the NBA) and foreign championships.