Meet Victor Wembanyama - NBA's latest prospect standing tall
In this past year, basketball fans have become witness to possibly the greatest ever future prospect to enter the NBA draft.
His name is Victor Wembanyama and fans around the world have every right to be excited. Why? It’s because he stands at 7ft3 but has the basketball skills of an elite NBA guard.
With the height of his parents (Dad Felix standing at 6ft6 and Mum Elodia standing at 6ft3) and basketball running through his family history, a successful future has always been on the cards.
According to Andscape, French NBA forward Nicolas Batum said, "Let me watch this kid play. We got to get this guy Victor Wembanyama. I have been telling people last four years about him."
Wembanyama was born and raised in France and as the NBA world has got to see, a lot of the elite players battling night in and night out also originate from France.
The likes of three-time defensive player of the year Rudy Gobert and 76ers star Joel Embid are two French citizens who have created a blueprint for Europeans to be great in the NBA.
Unlike many College players entering the NBA draft, Wembanyama will be entering the draft having already played professionally, due to the fact he plays for Metropolitans 92 in the French pro league.
Heading into next year’s draft, every NBA scout, general manager, or player has the 7ft3 French superstar going in unanimously at number one.
With the prospect of Wembanyama almost certainly being drafted number one, there is another previous number one pick who the NBA world is comparing him to.
No one has seen media coverage like Wembanyama’s since the arrival of Lebron James nearly 20 years ago. The king lived up to his hype winning 4 titles, 4 Finals MVPs, 4 league MVPs, and 18 all-star selections.
With the NBA season shaping up as it nearly reaches its two-month existence, there are a couple of teams in prime position to take the number one draft pick.
The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs from the Western Conference, and the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic from the East have the poorest records, making it more likely for them to draft the superstar.
Unlike any other European superstar prior to joining the NBA, the league has bought the rights to all of Victor Wembanyama’s games on the NBA app.
With the astronomical media coverage following the French teenager, the pressure is extremely high to perform when he arrives on the biggest stage.
Some of the league’s biggest stars have had their say on the proposition of facing Wembanyama in years to come.
In an interview with ESPN, a Member of the NBA 75th anniversary team, Damien Lillard said, "He’s generational, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m happy I’m not going to play for a long time with him."