Victor Wembanyama has been officially drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the most nailed down first pick since LeBron James 20 years ago.
The 19-year-old, 7-foot-4 Frenchman is set to take the NBA by storm and has been described as an ‘alien’ by LeBron himself for his close control, agility and three-point shooting accuracy – traits n isn’t usually associated with someone so tall.
And now the alien has landed in San Antonio – which struck gold when it came out first in the NBA Draft Lottery earlier in the year.
The teenager broke down in tears as he sat with his family as the choice was announced at Barclays Center on Thursday night.
Wembanyama arrived in New York on Monday ahead of the draft from Brooklyn and has since been on a whirlwind tour of the Big Apple.
Unsurprisingly, Victor Wembanyama was drafted first by the San Antonio Spurs in New York
Wembanyama was the first name that came out of NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s mouth
The 19-year-old Frenchman was one of the most nailed down first picks in NBA history
He was at the New York Yankees on Tuesday night for their game against the Seattle Mariners and threw the first pitch at Yankee Stadium.
Curiously, Wembanyama wasn’t as accurate with a baseball in hand – his throw widened and nearly missed the catcher.
But in Texas, he won’t have as many problems with the Spurs who will now officially focus on building the team around the Frenchman. Wembanyama will be coached by Gregg Popovich.
The team was last in the Western Conference last season, finishing the campaign with a miserable 22-60 record.
Speaking earlier this week, Wembanyama revealed he needs to eat five times a day – as much as possible – to fuel his towering figure and wants to bring French food to his new home.
“I have to eat wherever I can,” the Frenchman, who speaks perfect English, told Good Morning America. “Before training, after training, before going to bed, after waking up, before nap, after nap.”
But he insisted he won’t be overwhelmed when it comes time to make his NBA debut later this year.
“The most important thing is not to walk on the pitch being too humble,” he said. “You have to be humble enough – to be able to respect the game – but if you walk into a pitch that’s too humble and scared, there’s nothing you can do.”
Speaking of the Frenchman earlier this year, Lakers star James said: “We label like this unicorn thing – everyone’s been a unicorn for the last few years.”
Wembanyama impressed with his close control and agility, standing 7ft 4in
Wembanyama landed in the United States on Monday as the hype surrounding his transfer to the NBA reached new heights
He spent the last few days in New York and threw the first pitch at a Yankees game
After Spurs selected him, Wembanyama embraced his family and shed tears of joy
“But he looks more like an alien – no one has seen someone as tall as he is, but as fluid and as graceful as he is on the ground.”
Until now, Wembanyama played for Metropolitans 92 in France. His last match dates back to last week and ended in defeat against Monaco.
Fans sang “Thank you, Wemby” as the hugely popular Wembanyama waved and applauded them.
“I feel sorry for the fans who like to see a show,” Wembanyama said after the game. “Of course, I’m proud of what I managed to do with my coach (Vincent Collet) to bring the team to the final. But I am not satisfied.
After being selected first overall, Wembanyama shed tears and shared the reason for his emotion with ESPN’s Monica McNutt.
“It’s just… accomplishing something that I’ve dreamed of, you know, my whole life,” Wembanyama said. “Hearing that line from Adam Silver, you know, I dreamed about it so much that, you know, I have to cry, man.”
