Victor Wembanyama likes his bare (size 21!) feet touching the court before a game

Victor Wembanyama’s life is about to spiral to new heights when the nailed on No 1 NBA draft pick is officially chosen by San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.

The 19-year-old has been described as most guaranteed first pick since LeBron James was drafted in 2003 and ‘The King’ himself has labelled Wembanyama ‘an alien’ due to his close control and agility while standing at a towering 7-foot-4.

Ahead of Thursday’s draft in New York Wembanyama has opened up about his life off the court to Good Morning America, who visited him in Paris before he touched down in the Big Apple this week.

The 19-year-old admitted he has to eat as much as possible, every day, to power his extraordinary physique but it is not with the intention of bulking up. He has previously said he usually eats five meals a day.

‘I’ve got to eat wherever I can,’ the Frenchman, who speaks perfect English, explained. ‘Before practice, after practice, before I go to bed, after waking up, before the nap, after the nap.’

Victor Wembanyama says a pre-game ritual is to let his bare feet touch the court before a game

Wembanyama is 7-foot-4 and has size 21 feet – he is a nailed on first pick in NBA Draft

The 19-year-old says he eats ‘whenever he can’ in order to power his 7-foot-4 frame 

He was talking to GMA over truffle pizza and calamari, but laughed at claims he would need to bulk up before he hits the NBA.

‘What for? You should tell others to skinny up,’ he laughed. ‘I’m going to find a way to bring some European and French good back over there.’

Wembanyama’s last game in France for Metropolitans 92 ended in defeat to the league’s dominant team in Monaco but there is no doubt that the teenager is the star attraction at this week’s draft.

San Antonio Spurs are destined to pick Wembanyama after coming out with the first pick at the NBA Draft Lottery in May. 

But he revealed an unusual pre-game ritual of letting his bare feet touch the court before playing as a method of hitting the level that has made him basketball’s next star-in-waiting.

‘Having your feet actually connected to the ground is really important as a basketball player,’ Wembanyama said.

‘It gets the feet stronger. If your feet are strong, you can then get better on every other aspect of your body.’

And there is no danger of ‘Wemby’ being overwhelmed when he hits the court for the first time as an NBA player.

Wembanyama is destined to be picked by the San Antonio Spurs at Thursday night’s draft

Wembanyama landed in New York on Monday and was at the Yankees game on Tuesday night 

Wembanyama’s profile is about to dramatically rise as he gets set for his first NBA season

‘The most important 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.’ 

It’s an attitude that is perhaps best reflected by Wembanyama when he speaks of his gratitude towards his parents.

‘It’s really special for me and my family. Our life is gonna change from one day to another,’ he said. ‘They were also sports players. But the thing is, they didn’t really interfere with my sport. They let me be how I wanted to be.

‘They made a lot of sacrifices,’ he continued, before he caught himself getting too humble. ‘But on the other hand, they’re gonna be able to retire early.’

Wembanyama spent Tuesday night in the Big Apple with the New York Yankees, where he took the iconic first pitch before the game against the Seattle Mariners.

Amusingly, his throwing of a baseball wasn’t quite as accurate as a basketball and his effort dragged wide of the catcher.

‘Everything is going so fast. I just landed yesterday (Monday) from France,’ Wembanyama told The YES Network. ‘I just feel extremely lucky to be here.’