2023-10-25 17:44:14
The immense and talented Victor Wembanyama plays his first NBA game with the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The 19-year-old Frenchman can dream of an exceptional destiny in the most prestigious basketball championship.
Published on: 10/25/2023 – 5:44 p.m.
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Exaggerated expectations at the height of the character (2.24 meters). French basketball player Victor Wembanyama plays his first NBA match against Dallas on Wednesday October 25 with the San Antonio Spurs.
What is going on up there, in the head of this young basketball player sure of his path, faced with the sporting and media whirlwind that precedes him a few hours, finally, from his first match in the most prestigious basketball championship? ball of the world?
“Main character of [sa] own story” in his words, the child from Chesnay-Rocquencourt (Yvelines), first tricolor chosen No. 1 in the draft in June, made a remarkable entry into the great world of the orange ball. He will face athletes there. almost as big as him, some as skilled as him, but none with this unique combination that makes this “rookie” the most anticipated debutant since LeBron James 20 years ago.
“How can we protect him?” asked his illustrious coach Gregg Popovich, former mentor in Texas to the best French basketball player in history at the moment, Tony Parker. “But I quickly understood, while talking with him, that he had understood everything. He looked at me with this look: ‘But why is this guy talking to me about this?’ He has a strong personality, a sense of humor, he’s intelligent, he knows how to deal with all this attention. So it doesn’t worry me anymore.”
Read alsoVictor Wembanyama at the San Antonio Spurs: the ideal destination for the French basketball nugget
“In the top 5 most agile players in the league”
With a lot of dunks, blocks at unthinkable heights, dribbling, unique feints for his size and shoots, in all positions, the phenomenon’s four preparation matches in October only amplified the “wembamania ” which floods social networks.
“Today, for me, he is in the top 5 of the most agile players in the league. I have never seen anything like it,” exclaims former winger Paul Pierce, NBA champion and Finals MVP in 2008 with Boston, for the Showtime media.
What can we expect from young Wembanyama in the NBA, where the key word is often “patience”? Legends like Michael Jordan or LeBron James waited six and eight years for their first title.
Like a nekketsu manga hero, a genre derived from the initiatory journey that he loves, the Frenchman will have to assert himself by going through trials and facing ever stronger adversaries.
His traveling companions, young players with great potential, will grow alongside him, after finishing last (out of 15) in the Western Conference in the spring (22 victories in 82 games) – far from the past glory of the Spurs, who won five titles between 1999 and 2014.
Also read: From Tony Parker to Victor Wembanyama: the beautiful story of the Blues in the NBA
“Give it time to mature”
“Victor is the future best player in the world, but in France we think too much that he already is,” ex-coach and international player Jacques Monclar, consultant for the French broadcaster beIN Sports, told AFP. “In France, everything is seen through the prism of Tony Parker, who performed very young. It’s a problem. Parker arrived in a team that won matches, which will not be the case for Wembanyama. We have to “he develops, he gets used to contact, rhythm. He has such incredible potential in his hands that we must give him time to mature.”
“The important thing is not necessarily the statistics, but that he is able to win close matches for his team,” adds Jacques Monclar.
Victor Wembanyama is already dreaming of qualifying for the play-offs in April, which would be a first for San Antonio since 2019.
“I am certain that we can be competitive from the start of the season with this team. In preparation we have seen real collective performances,” appreciated the Frenchman after the pre-season. “My first impressions of the game here are very positive. I felt really good in this environment, the way everything moves, the spaces. I’m made for this.”
Without having yet played a single minute in the NBA, “Wemby” has already been adopted by San Antonio, where his portrait flourishes almost everywhere on walls which had trembled with joy after his draft four months ago.
Also read: Victor Wembanyama, the French “extraterrestrial” ready to conquer the basketball planet
Cowboy hat on his head, Texan accent on his mouth and microphone in hand, the phenomenon took a walk a few weeks ago to meet residents of the city, with beatific smiles and twisted necks at the surprise visit of their new idol. Cleverly, Victor Wembanyama slipped them into his large pockets. With his many fans across the seas, they are ready to embark with him on a great adventure.
With AFP
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