Victor Wembanyama embraces megastardom before NBA Draft: ‘I’m trying to be the best’
The height is real. The hype? Let’s just say Victor Wembanyama has a lot to live up to.
Wembanyama, the 7-3 wunderkind, is already such a star that the NBA gave him a separate room and press conference for his pre-draft media session Wednesday. The other 24 prospects were shuttled into a hotel ballroom in groups of eight, representing the far removed supporting cast of Thursday’s draft.
This year — and perhaps many more beyond — is all about Wemby.
“I’m trying to be the best,” said Wembanyama, a lock to join the Spurs as the first overall pick. “So being the best is not just on the court. There are dimensions in the job of being an NBA player. I want to be the best at the media and the press conferences and all that stuff. I don’t like to do things halfway.”
At least based on his words, Wembanyama seems eager to accept the responsibilities and pressures that accompany megastardom. Maturity, after all, is an important trait for the role. Two players once nominated for the label of Face of the NBA — Zion Williamson and Ja Morant — are discovering the pitfalls of immature decisions. Pornstars and guns should be avoided.
Wembanyama, 19, is stepping into an ideal franchise for insulation against temptation. The Spurs are lowkey and the model of stability, although it’s fair to question how much longer 78-year-old Gregg Popovich has left on a sideline.
New York City, as Wembanyama discovered, is high-strung by comparison. The Frenchman, who arrived in Manhattan on Monday for the draft, said he’s been mostly glued to the hotel room because of the attention.
It’s impossible to be that tall and blend in.
“There are always a lot of people outside of the hotel, so it’s hard for me,” said Wembanyama, whose big excursion Tuesday was a subway ride to Yankee Stadium to throw out the first pitch. “I’m probably going to try to sneak out at night at some point. I really want to see the city, I want to walk through Times Square at some point.”
The allure of Wembanyama is mostly about his height. He’s a giant with point-guard skills — playmaking and shooting — along with lateral quickness. His commitment to a hybrid basketball style has NBA scouts salivating, despite Wembanyama shooting an unimpressive 27.5% on treys last season for his pro French team.
“No one is going to stop me from dribbling the ball up and getting the ball up and shooting threes. Nobody will stop me from doing that,” Wembanyama said. “Even though some coaches tried to stop me from doing that because they were trying to win right now. So it was an everyday fight to stay true to myself, and this is something I’m never going to lose.”
For most of the prospects in the 2023 class, Wednesday represented the first time they saw Wembanyama in person. The general feeling was amazement over his height:
“That’s a big human. For sure, he’s big as sh–,” said Kobe Bufkin, a potential lottery pick out of Michigan.
“Haven’t seen many people like him before in my life,” said Brandin Podziemski, projected as a late first rounder out of Santa Clara.
“His height is real,” said Gradey Dick, a lottery prospect from Kansas. “That’s the first thing you see.”
Duke center Dereck Lively, who is 7-1, added, “He’s a big man. So to see somebody who is a little taller than me, it’s interesting. I never feel short in the room.”
Still, at least one top prospect wasn’t in awe.
“That’s a big dude but he don’t got no muscle,” Cam Whitmore, a Villanova forward and projected top-10 pick, said. “So it doesn’t really phase me.”
Asked who he was most looking forward to facing in the NBA, Whitmore said, “Most definitely, Wemby. Everybody wants to go against the No. 1 pick.”
Bullseyes also accompany superstardom. Wembanyama, whose rail-thin physique has been highlighted as a potential hindrance to NBA success, didn’t seem worried by the physicality.
“Why [bulk up]? What for?” Wembanyama said on a Good Morning America appearance. “You should tell others to skinny up.”
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