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Victor Wembanyama has officially been drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the most nailed-on first pick since LeBron James 20 years ago.
The 19-year-old, 7-foot-4 Frenchman is expected to take the NBA by storm and has been described as an ‘alien’ by LeBron himself for his close control, agility and accuracy shooting from the three-point range – traits not usually associated with someone so tall.
And now, the alien has landed in San Antonio – who struck gold when they came out first in the NBA Draft Lottery earlier in the year.
The teenager broke down in tears as he sat with his family as the pick was announced at Barclays Center Thursday night.
After being selected first overall, Wembanyama shared the reason for his emotion with ESPN’s Monica McNutt.
Unsurprisingly, Victor Wembanyama was drafted first by the San Antonio Spurs in New York
Wembanyama was the first name out of the mouth of NBA commissioner Adam Silver
After the Spurs selected him, Wembanyama embraced his family and shed tears of joy
‘It’s just… accomplishing something that I’ve been dreaming of, you know, my whole life,’ Wembanyama said. ‘Hearing that that sentence from Adam Silver, you know, I’ve dreamed of it so, so much that, you know, I gotta cry, man.’
He later revealed that, despite knowing he was probably going to be taken first, the Draft was still the best night of his life.
‘I can’t really describe it,’ Wembanyama told reporters. ‘It’s still fresh. One of the best feelings of my life. Probably the best night of my life. I’ve been dreaming about this for so long. It’s a dream come true. It’s incredible.’
Wembanyama also said he began to grow nervous during the five minutes the Spurs were on the clock.
‘Longest five minutes of my life,’ he said. ‘This is when I started getting the butterflies, and it’s where I started seeing my family get silent. Everyone watching their watch.
‘Then I got called, and I went to the back. I was congratulated by a lot of people there. I saw Adam Silver, shook his hand again, gave him a hug. Then someone gave me this (Spurs jersey). Someone knew this was happening somehow. I just got a lot of love.’
When asked about his new head coach Gregg Popovich, he joked: ‘He’s [Popovich] not intimidating yet, but I’m sure he’s going to get intimidating when I see him in real life.’
Back in San Antonio, went wild as they celebrated the franchise’s pick at the AT&T Center. Some supporters had made signs with Wembanayama’s face on. One even showed the phenom shooting lasers out of his eyes in reference to his ‘alien’ status gifted by LeBron.
Wembanyama revealed after he was picked that the Draft was still the best night of his life
When asked about his new head coach Gregg Popovich, he joked,’ he’s not intimidating yet’
He also said he began to grow nervous during the five minutes the Spurs were on the clock
Some supporters even rushed to queue to enter the fan store to purchase their customized Wembanyama jerseys.
Wembanyama arrived in New York on Monday ahead of the Draft in Brooklyn and has been on a whirlwind tour of the Big Apple ever since.
He was at the New York Yankees on Tuesday night for their game against Seattle Mariners and threw the first pitch at Yankee Stadium.
Amusingly, Wembanyama wasn’t as accurate with a baseball in his hand – his throw went wide and almost missed the catcher.
But in Texas, he won’t have as many issues with the Spurs who will now officially sharpen the focus in building the team around the Frenchman. Wembanyama will be coached by Gregg Popovich.
The team was last in the Western Conference last season, ending the campaign with a miserable 22-60 record.
Back in San Antonio, fans went wild as they celebrated the pick at AT&T Center
One fan held up a sign with Wembanyama shooting lasers from his eyes, referring to the ‘alien’
Some supporters were even already queuing to buy jerseys with his name on
Speaking earlier this week, Wembanyama revealed he needs to eat five times a day – as much as possible – to power his towering frame and that he wants to bring French food over to his new home.
‘I’ve got to eat wherever I can,’ the Frenchman, who speaks perfect English, explained to Good Morning America. ‘Before practice, after practice, before I go to bed, after waking up, before the nap, after the nap.’
But he has insisted he will not be overwhelmed when the time comes to make his debut it the NBA later this year.
‘The most important thing is to not step on the court being too humble,’ he said. ‘You gotta be humble enough — to be able to respect the game — but if you step on a court too humble and scared, you can’t do anything.’
Speaking about the Frenchman earlier this year, Lakers star James said: ‘We’re labeling like this unicorn thing—everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years.
The 19-year-old Frenchman was one of the most nailed-on first picks in NBA history
Wembanyama has wowed with his close control and agility, standing at 7-foot-4 inches tall
Wembanyama landed in the States on Monday as the hype on his NBA move hit new heights
He has spent the last few days in New York and threw the first pitch at a Yankees game
‘But he’s more like an alien—no one has seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor.’
Up to now, Wembanyama had been playing for Metropolitans 92 in France. His last game was last week and ended in defeat against Monaco.
Fans sang ‘Merci, Wemby’ as the hugely popular Wembanyama waved and clapped at them.
‘I’m sorry for the fans who love to see a show,’ Wembanyama said following the game. ‘Of course I’m proud of what I’ve managed to do along with my coach (Vincent Collet), in bringing the team to the finals. But I’m not satisfied.’
