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Victor Wembanyama
Wemby
No. 1 – San Antonio Spurs
Position:  Center
Personal information
Born:  January 4, 2004 (2004-01-04) (age 21)
Le Chesnay, France
Listed height:  7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
Listed weight:  210 lbs (95 kg)
National Basketball Association career
Debut: 2023 for the San Antonio Spurs
Career information
NBA Draft:  2023 / Rnd: 1 / Pck: 1st
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Career history
  • Nanterre 92 (2019–2021)
  • ASVEL Basket (2021–2022)
  • Metropolitans 92 (2022–2023)
  • San Antonio Spurs (2023–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA All-Defensive First Team (2024)
  • NBA Rookie of the Year (2024)
  • NBA All-Rookie First Team (2024)
  • NBA blocks leader (2024)
  • Pro A champion (2022)
  • French player of the year (2023)
  • Pro A Most Valuable Player (2023)
  • Pro A Best Scorer (2023)
  • Pro A Best Defender (2023)
  • All-Pro A First Team (2023)
  • LNB All-Star Game MVP (2022)
  • 2× LNB All-Star (2021, 2022)
  • 3× Pro A Best Young Player (2021–2023)
External links
[ Profile] at nba.com
[ stats] at Basketball-Reference

Victor Wembanyama (/ˌwɛmbənˈjɑːmə/WEM-bən-YAH-mə; French: [viktɔʁwɛmbanjama]; born 4 January 2004), nicknamed "Wemby", is a French professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Considered one of the best basketball prospects in a generation, he was selected first overall by the Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft. With a listed height of 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 metres), Wembanyama is the tallest active NBA player.

Professional career[]

Wembanyama began his professional career with Nanterre 92 of the LNB Pro A in 2019. Two years later, he moved to ASVEL and won the Pro A title in his only season with the team. In the 2022–23 season, Wembanyama signed with Metropolitans 92 and became the youngest player to win the Pro A MVP award, while earning Pro A Best Defender honors and leading the league in scoring, rebounds and blocks. He was unanimously named an LNB All-Star twice, winning the All-Star Game MVP once, and was a three-time Pro A Best Young Player. Wembanyama also plays for the French national team. At the youth level, he led his team to two silver medals, including at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where he set the FIBA record for blocks per game in a single tournament.

San Antonio Spurs (2023-present)[]

On 22 June 2023, Wembanyama was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. He was the 3rd Spurs #1 overall draft pick in history, the other two being Spurs legends Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Wembanyama debuted in the NBA Summer League on July 7th against the Charlotte Hornets, where he only made 2 out of 13 shots in a victory. He however bounced back in his next game, putting up 27 points and 12 rebounds against the Portland Trail Blazers in a loss.

On 25 October, Wembanyama made his NBA regular-season debut putting up 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in a 126–119 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. His three three-pointers made set a Spurs' single-game team record for a rookie in his debut.

Wembanyama would record his first Triple Double, with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a blowout victory against the Detroit Pistons. He would record his 2nd triple double around a month later, recording 27 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks in a blowout win over the Toronto Raptors.

On 29 March, he put up a career-high 40 points along with 20 rebounds and seven assists in a 130–126 overtime win over the New York Knicks. He finished the season as the first player in NBA history to put up at least 1,500 points, 250 blocks, and 100 made three-pointers in a season. At 3.6 blocks per game, he also became the youngest player to lead the NBA in blocks for a season.

Following a historic rookie season in the NBA, Wembanyama was unanimously named the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year, finished second in the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year voting to compatriot Rudy Gobert, and became the first rookie to be ever named to the All-Defensive First Team.

Player Profile[]

At 7 foot 4, Wembanyama is one of the tallest players in the NBA. This, coupled with his athleticism, dribbling and shooting prowess makes him a generational talent and one of the most hyped draft picks of all time. Additionally, Wembanyama possesses great defensive instincts, which when coupled with his length makes him an excellent shot blocker and disruptor of plays. This defensive prowess was seen as he was named to the All Defensive 1st team in his first year in the NBA, whilst being runner up to Rudy Gobert in Defensive Player of the Year.

However, he has been criticised for his thin frame and lack of weight, with some analysts predicting before the draft that this could cause him to get bullied by more physical players. However, Wembenyama has seemingly put on some muscle, and this problem wasn't particularly evident in his rookie season.

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