NBA No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama finally made his debut for the San Antonio Spurs on Friday – but it didn’t go quite the way he would’ve hoped as he endured a rough shooting night.
While the Spurs clawed out a 76-68 win, Wembanyama went just two-for-13 from the field, finishing the night with nine points and eight rebounds.
The French phenom had a nervy start to the night, missing his first three shots before converting an and-one layup in the first quarter to end his brief drought.
From there, he showed off his silky ball-handling and passing ability, but struggled with his shot throughout the night.
Perhaps the most encouraging takeaway from the 19-year-old’s performance was his five blocks, but even in that category there was room for improvement.
NBA No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama finally made his debut for the San Antonio Spurs
The 7-foot-4 star struggled with his shot throughout the game but the Spurs still won
The 7-foot-4 Frenchman was dunked on in the the third quarter by Charlotte’s Kai Jones
Wembanyama was held in check by the Hornets and turned the ball over three times
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The 7-foot-4 Frenchman was dunked on in the the third quarter by Charlotte’s Kai Jones, sending his teammates and the rest of the arena into a frenzy.
Wembanyama looked smooth for a player of his size, notching three assists as well, but may well need to improve his physicality to thrive at the NBA level.
‘It was a special moment,’ Wembanyama said postgame. ‘It was really special to wear that jersey for the first time. It’s really an honor.
‘Overall, I’m glad we won this game. There’s no better way to start for your premiere. Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing on the court tonight. I’m trying to learn for next game.’
He had not suited up in the first two games the Spurs had played in the California Summer League.
New video footage emerged earlier today showing the moment Britney Spears was smacked by a security guard protecting the 7-foot-4 phenom.
Wembanyama addressed the Spears saga on Thursday night, 24 hours before he arrived at the Thomas & Mack Center as a Spurs player.
The top pick at this year’s NBA Draft has been getting acclimated to his new life in San Antonio.
He was greeted by fans at the airport the day after he was drafted and then was unveiled to the city at San Antonio’s famous River Walk.
Wembanyama arrives for his San Antonio Spurs debut in Las Vegas on Friday night
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama in the tunnel before heading out onto the court Friday
Rapper J. Cole (center) was among the thousands who turned out for NBA Summer League
The scrutiny on his first ever game has only been intensified by the row with Britney Spears
Wembanyama has also been playing more recently than the college stars he was drafted with – as he took his former French team, Mets 92, to the LNB Pro A finals, which concluded in June.
Fans turned out – some even wearing Mets 92 jerseys – with Front Office Sports reporting it was a sell-out with 17,500 tickets bought.
Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, rapper J. Cole and Hawks star Trae Young were among the thousands who wanted to catch a glimpse of Wembanyama.
With Michael Jordan’s sale of the team, Cole has become a part-owner of the franchise.
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Wembanyama insisted he was focused on basketball amid the Spears drama.
Still, he wasn’t great in his first game for the Spurs, leaving pundits like Skip Bayless unimpressed.
‘It was just one Summer League game, but I must admit, I wasn’t blown away by what I saw from Victor Wembanyama,’ Bayless wrote on Twitter. ‘He was well taught. He plays the right way. Astonishing skill for his astonishing height. But I didn’t see will-imposing or, obviously, physically dominant.
Spears ‘wants an apology’ after she was slapped by Wembanyama’s security detail, with a source close to the singer telling DailyMail.com the guard’s actions were dangerous and ‘disgusting’.
The 41-year-old was hit on Wednesday when she ran up to the sporting star outside a restaurant in Las Vegas.
A video obtained by TMZ showed the moment where Spears was slapped by a security guard
The Las Vegas Police Department’s investigation found that Spears had actually been the one to hit herself in the face after the security guard protecting the Frenchman pushed her hand off him.
Spears herself on Friday said she did not blame Wembanyama, but she felt she had been treated unfairly.
She wrote on Instagram that she did not want to claim she was a victim, but added: ‘I don’t feel like I have been treated as an equal person in this country.’
A source close to Spears told DailyMail.com she wanted an apology, and she felt the security guard’s actions were dangerous.
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