NBA
As expected, exceptional talent Victor Wembanyama will play for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. The team from Texas picked the 19-year-old Frenchman first in the draft in New York on Thursday evening (local time). Wembanyama is considered the greatest talent since LeBron James, who was picked first by the Cleveland Cavaliers 20 years ago.
23.06.2023 07.40
Online since today, 7.40 a.m
“It’s the fulfillment of something I’ve dreamed of all my life,” said Wembanyama, also known as “Wemby” for short. “Hearing this sentence from (NBA commissioner, note) Adam Silver, I dreamed about it so much that I had to cry.” According to his own statements, the super talent is 2.21 meters tall and, in addition to an enormous reach, also has an excellent one Feel for the ball, and his long-distance throw is effective. Until recently, Wembanyama played for Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 in the French league.
The Charlotte Hornets chose forward Brandon Miller with the second pick, while point guard Scoot Henderson landed number three with the Portland Trail Blazers. The Thompson twins completed the top five: Amen Thompson went fourth to the Houston Rockets, Ausar went fifth to the Detroit Pistons.
In the footsteps of Robinson and Duncan
San Antonio won the NBA draft lottery last month, earning it the right to pick the number one pick. The ex-team of Austria’s NBA professional Jakob Pöltl has won five NBA titles under coach Gregg Popovich and, with the selection of David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997), has twice selected two later NBA legends as number one.
Both, like Wembanyama, were tall players for the center position. They formed the foundation for Spurs’ success over the years. Today, Robinson and Duncan are members of the Hall of Fame. A similar future is predicted for Wembanyama. Lakers superstar James previously described the French phenomenon as an “alien”. “It’s hard to win in this league,” said Wembanyama. “My goal is to learn as much as possible because I want to win this ring.”