The name Victor Wembanyama has been known in wider basketball circles for at least a year by now. Clips of the 18-year-old Frenchman have been circulating around social media and on YouTube, leading him to be predicted as the no. 1 pick in the 2023/24 NBA draft.
However, his recent performances in Las Vegas for Metropolitans 92 have solidified him, not just as next year's no. 1 pick, but as the most hyped prospect since LeBron James.
At 7'4", with the ability to shoot threes and with guard-like handles, Wembanyama has been labelled as a 'cheat-code', with many predicting that there will be a handful of teams looking to 'tank' in this year's NBA, so as to give themselves a greater chance at securing his talents in the draft.
In Vegas this week his team played against the G-League Ignite, whose side featured the predicted no. 2 pick Scoot Henderson. The numbers Wembanyama put up were freakish, particularly his 7-11 from the three-point line in his first game, and his highlights show not just a 'unicorn', but, as LeBron James put it, an 'alien'.
From his two games against Ignite he finished with, 37 PTS 5 BLK 7 threes, and 36 PTS 11 REB 4 AST 4 BLK.
Is Victor Wembanyama The Real Deal?
Wembanyama COME ON https://t.co/pU9Em4uMTC pic.twitter.com/TBtT5MRzbS
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 6, 2022
and now Wembanyama just wrecked this dudehttps://t.co/N9ZNWWKtVd pic.twitter.com/MwwSTpZUrx
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 6, 2022
Victor Wembanyama meets Lakers’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis pic.twitter.com/1Vhkmsw6vk
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) October 7, 2022
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"What do I think of him?," answered LeBron James when asked about Wembanyama. "I feel like I think the same as everybody else think, there's been a thing of labelling certain players as a 'unicorn'. I feel like he's more like an alien.
"No-one has ever seen anyone as tall and fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor. His ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers out the post, step-back three's, catch and shoot three's, block shots..."
“It’s natural. I just want to do what’s best for my teammates,” said Wembanyama on his own game. “I’m never going to yell at a teammate if he tries and misses. Everyone makes mistakes.”
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