18 years old and no college scholarship, but French rising star Victor Wembanyama is the top topic of conversation in the US – including royal accolades.
The accolade came from the King himself. “Everybody’s been called a unicorn the last couple of years, but he’s more like an alien,” Lakers superstar LeBron James said of Victor Wembanyama: “He’s a generational talent for sure. “
Victor Wembanyama hasn’t played a single game in the NBA, he didn’t go to any American college and he’s only 18 years old – yet every basketball fan in the USA knows his name. Of course, so does “King” James, whose praise Wembanyama noted with tantalising nonchalance: “I thought to myself, ‘Oh, that’s cool’. That’s all it is. It doesn’t change anything.” Modestly, then. Of course, at 18 years old.
However, the 2.21-metre giant has well deserved the recognition from the basketball-mad States. He made his first US appearance at the beginning of October in Henderson (Nevada). There he met the development team G League Ignite in two test games with his team Metropolitans 92 from Paris.
Where does Wembanyama end up?
And Wembanyama proved that he is comfortable in the limelight. In the two meetings, he outscored everyone with a total of 73 points, 15 rebounds and nine blocks. It put him in the US headlines in capital letters at just the right time, because despite the upcoming start of the NBA season, the question now is: Where does the Alien land?
A question that could have a big impact on the upcoming season, as feared in the US. Bad teams, it is predicted, will deliberately lose games in the hope of landing the giant talent in the 2023 draft. For Wembanyama to be the first player selected next year seems certain.
Some NBA officials already approached Wembanyama’s management with absurd demands. “They want us to take him out,” his agent Bouna Ndiaye told ESPN, “we’re not going to do that. He would look at us and say ‘what are you talking about’.” NBA teams fear for the health of the coveted talent, who is still set to play in France’s premier league this coming season.
“He will be the player with the most hype since LeBron James “
Wembanyama’s enormous height, with an arm span of 2.42 m, combines with speed and agility that usually only point guards have on the court. For years, top players like Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) or Kristaps Porzingis (Washington Wizards) have offered a comparable overall package in the NBA – including frequent serious injuries.
Even with the superstars of the industry, the young Wembanyama is already being compared. “He will be the player with the most hype since LeBron James,” claimed a general manager on ESPN. Basketball expert Stephen A. Smith even called the Frenchman “a bigger version of the great Kevin Durant”.
Wembanyama himself does not compare himself to anyone. His goal is to be “something you’ve never experienced before”. Like a real alien.
