Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real!
Victor Wembanyama has a wingspan and a length that has not been seen in the NBA before. In addition to his built, Wembanyama is just 19 years old and a Basketball prodigy from France. He was the number one pick in the 2023 NBA Draft where the San Antonio Spurs signed him. European basketball fans have been lucky if they have seen him play in the French Pro A league or the Euroleague. NBA fans are going to be in for a treat. If this is the first time you hear about him, make sure to keep Victor Wembanyama on your radar… Because the hype is real!
Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real!
Let’s get acquainted
It took NBA fans a while to remember and pronounce Giannis‘ last name correctly. Get ready for round two: Meet Victor Wembanyama…
The pronunciation of Wembanyama will not be that difficult. Trying to remember how to spell it can take some practice. Even though I am familiar with Americans liking abbreviations, I think it shows respect to put in the effort and actually learn someone’s name correctly. I admire seeing Victor’s last name shown on the back of his jersey. Likewise, it would be very cool to see young basketball players wear that jersey soon.
Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real!
Family Ties
Basketball runs in the Wembanyama family. Mother Elodie is a former professional Basketball player, who represented the French national team. As a Youth Basketball coach, she introduced Victor and his older sister Eve to Basketball. To say that she has had an important influence on Victor’s career is therefor an understatement. Dad Félix was a track and field athlete. He competed in long, triple and high jump events.
Victor’s sister Eve is active as a player for France on the FIBA 3×3 circuit. Youngest brother Oscar first started playing handball. At age 14, as a result of both his siblings winning French and European Championships, he followed in their footsteps. Currently, Oscar is playing Basketball for Asvel Villeurbanne.
Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real!
Family Business
Besides Victor’s parents helping him making the right career decisions, there is someone else crucial for his journey. Bouna Ndiaye, who is the CEO at Comsport, representing Wembanyama. French basketball players overseas know him as the most successful French Basketball agent. Ndiaye has landed NBA contracts for Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert, to name a few. Above all, Ndiyae runs his Agency Comsport as a Family Business which brings me to how Wembanyama signed with him.
Ndiaye’s son started playing Basketball and his coach was Elodie. Indeed, Victor’s mom. By the time European and NBA teams started showing serious interest in Victor, he signed with Comsport, making Bouna Ndiaye his agent. Over the past twenty years, Ndiaye has managed to help many French players with contracts for European club teams and in the NBA. Therefore Victor Wembanyama is in very good hands.
Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real
Early years
Wembanyama picked up a Basketball around age seven. His mom was a Youth Basketball coach. With his length and developing talent, he started playing professional Basketball only eight years later. He is currently playing for his third team in the Pro A League in France. I will touch more on that after the next paragraph.
As much as he excelled on a Basketball court, Wembanyama did equally well at school. He graduated from the Lycée (the French equivalent of high school) a year earlier than his peers, with specializations in Earth & Life Sciences as well as Social & Economic Sciences. He earned his baccalauréat as an all honor student.
What is noteworthy, is that Wembanyama already played professional Basketball. His club team Nanterre was very supportive in him finishing his Lycée in a successful way.
Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real
European Basketball
The start of Wembanyama’s professional career was with Nanterre, a suburb of Paris. Wembanyama was fifteen years old and spent two seasons with the club. His next stop for the 2021-2022 season was Asvel Villeurbanne, in Lyon. At Asvel, Wembanyama met up with former NBA player Tony Parker. At Asvel, he is the club’s President. In 2021-2022 Wembanyama won the French Championship and had his first experiences playing in the Euroleague.
Plagued by injuries, Victor Wembanyama opted for a fresh start with the Metropolitans 92 and left Villeurbanne. His team is currently ranked second in the standings. Metropolitans 92’s team President is Boris Diaw. NBA followers might remember that Diaw is best friends with Tony Parker. They played together for the San Antonio Spurs and the French National team.
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Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real
The NBA Draft
This year, the NBA Draft Lottery was held in Chicago. On Tuesday, May 16th, the San Antonio Spurs received the number 1 pick. The fourteen teams that did not make the Play Offs, all participated in the lottery. On NBA Draft night, June 22nd 2023, the Spurs made Wembanyama the new face of their franchise!
Victor Wembanyama officially declared for the NBA Draft on Friday, April 12st, 2023.
His agent Bouna Ndiaye, CEO and founder of Comsport, dropped a beautiful announcement video. Make sure to check it out!
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Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real
European NBA Players
Writing this article about Victor Wembanyama was an easy choice. As my subtitle showed, the hype is real! He deserves people getting to know about his basketball journey.
On a personal level, as an European-American, I grew up watching great European basketball players. This has instilled my love and appreciation for European players. In my hometown, rooting for my home team, where I eventually ended up as the General Manager, I saw many greats play. I still remember the late Dražen Petrović, Domantas Sabonis’ dad Arvidas, Vlade Divac and Toni Kukoč.
Witnessing the next generations up close in the NBA while now living in the United States is a dream come true. Watching Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić and Joel Embiid winning the NBA MVP and MVP Finals titles makes me proud. It also shows how global the NBA brand has become. I will always have an extra appreciation for foreign NBA players. Knowing first hand how challenging emigrating can be. Fans and journalists can get critical. One day you are the biggest star, while the next day, they paint you as the biggest failure.
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Victor Wembanyama: The hype is real
A Bright Future
My hopes for Victor Wembanyama are high. I know he comes from a very loving and supportive family. He has a great agent and I have the feeling he deals with pressure and stardom pretty well. I have a lot of confidence in Coach Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, developing him in the awesome NBA player he for sure will become.
Le futur est radieux!
(The future is bright)
