The last few weeks must have been a whirlwind for Victor Wembanyama, but the youngster will have to get his feet on the ground and head in the game quickly as it’s likely his first match for the new team the San Antonio Spurs will come as early as July.
The 7 foot 4 inch Frenchman was number 1 pick at this year’s NBA Draft and snatched up to huge fanfare by the Spurs, who’ll be hoping his impressive form can help them improve their form after a disappointing season in 2022/23.
Though the NBA season has only recently come to a close, the Summer League takes place in Las Vegas during July to help teams try out untested rookies and sophomores as they try to find a way into the regular roster.
Summer Leagues are also held in California and Salt Lake and feature only a handful of games that run for a shorter period of time than standard regular season matches: 40 minutes rather than 48 minutes.
With so much hype surrounding him, Wembanyama is already looking forward to getting on the court and focusing on his basketball. “I can’t wait to wear that Spurs jersey for the first time. It’s been great,” he told the press after participating in practice. “Unfortunately, I had a lot off the court too. But I’m glad this is over now and I can focus on basketball per se.”
“I’m going to play at least one or two games. I don’t know how it works yet. How many minutes I’m going to play. But I know I’m going to have a big role and it’s going to be intense.
Wembanyama won’t play at the World Cup
One event that Wembanyama won’t be at is this year’s basketball World Cup.
The event takes place between August 25th and September 10th across Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. 32 teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and Europe will compete, including Wembanyama’s native France.
However, with the incredibly gifted 19-year-old coming off a long season with his former team Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 and the next NBA season set to get underway in the autumn, he’s thought to have hesitantly come to the decision to back out of appearing for his country.
Wembanyama comes from a family rich in sporting history, with his grandparents, mother and siblings all playing basketball. Only his father has never took to the game; he showed his sporting prowess in high jump, triple jump and long jump.
The young French player joins the Spurs from Metropolitans after dazzling in France, despite his young age. Last season, his club narrowly missed out on the top prize, but he was named the Pro A League’s Most Valuable Player, Best Scorer and Best Defender.
He was also named in the All-Pro A First Team. All eyes will no doubt be on him in July to see if he can live up to the hype as he moves from highly-valued prospect to full pro who fans will be hoping can deliver.
Written and distributed by Chat T Sports.
