Victor Wembanyama was born on January 4th, 2004 in Le Chesnay, France, and plays center for the San Antonio Spurs. Standing at seven feet, four inches (7’4), he was almost six feet tall by the age of ten and was once mistaken for a coach. Wembanyama was a first-round pick for the 2023 NBA draft and comes from a long line of athletes — his father, Felix Wembanyama, was a track and field athlete and his mother, Elodia de Fautereau, played basketball for a French national team.
People are already comparing Wembanyama to Kevin Durant, the two-time NBA champion and two-time MVP. “He’s a talented, talented gifted individual who is only going to get better and be more comfortable as an NBA player as each game goes past,” Durant said. “I just see his enthusiasm just through the TV. Sprinting up and down the court, trying to block every shot. Just being aggressive, excited for his teammates.”
“I met him once, but I don’t know him well enough, but it seems like he’s locked to trying to be great,” Durant continued. “That’s evident in just watching him in preseason and first few games. Looking forward to playing against him.”
“I like the fact that for years and years, nobody found a way to guard him [Durant] really, consistently,” Wembanyama said.
Wembanyama was the top overall pick for the 2023 NBA draft. He went to the NBA with no college experience, he never attended a college or university.
For this year’s regular season, Wembanyama had a 38-point game which is his best one yet for the NBA. He is averaging 20.5 points per game, which is 0.4 points behind Lebron James in his rookie year.
While it’s still hard to tell Wembanyama’s stats because the season just started, he has a bright future ahead of him in the world of basketball. His field goal percentage is 48.9% which is slightly above average for an NBA player.
“My thoughts on Victor Wembanyama is that he is a very talented young player and also has a very bright future. He is able to move really fast up and down on the court at his height” said Christian Gonzalez.
