It seems that LeBron James knows a little about basketball. So when he talks about it, we listen to him and when he talks about a French player, we listen. “Everyone’s been using that term ‘unicorn’ (a term used in the NBA to refer to uniquely talented players with out-of-the-ordinary physique who are both versatile and agile) lately. There have been quite a few in recent years, but he is more of an alien. »
Who is talking about the one who argues with Michael Jordan, the title of best basketball player of all time? By Victor Wembanyama of course. The giant of the Metropolitans of Boulogne-Levallois is bringing America to its knees. The NBA, which awaits him as the first draft pick next June, has already found him a nickname: Wemby. “We have come to reveal Victor to everyone and teach him what the next 15 years of his life will be like in terms of managing the expectations and attention towards him,” his agent Bouna Ndiaye told ESPN on the sidelines. of the second game of the prodigy on US territory. “We came to learn. We want him to be the best he can be. He must learn to be regular. Repeat scales, improve, learn. »
After a breathtaking first game on October 4 (7 points, 4 rebounds, 5 blocks, with an 11/20 on shots and a 7/11 from 3 points), Wembanyama did it again this Thursday evening under the eyes of Rudy Gobert present in the room. His stat sheet? 36 points, 11/24 on shots and 11 rebounds. Easy ! Which player of this size is able to score after a reverse as a back? What monster is able to coast-to-coast the ball like a point guard to go dunk while laughing, without the slightest trace of pressure on his face? Nobody except the Boulogne-Levallois giant who did it this Thursday evening in the suburbs of Las Vegas against the hopes of the G-League Unite. Defeated 48 hours earlier (122-115), Vincent Collet’s players this time won (112 – 106).
It is already becoming annoying by dint of knowing everything (so well) to do: dribble, shoot, rebound, jump, run fast, make blind passes. A small detail as a reminder: this 18-year-old boy is 2m21 tall and the world of basketball already has no more superlatives to qualify him: “He certainly has all the attributes to change the game, the physique and the state of mind. to be a great player. I know a lot of our NBA teams are salivating at the thought that potentially, they could get it. They will all have to compete very hard next season. It’s the big boss of the NBA, Adam Silver, who says that.
So promised to the first choice of Draft, Wembanyama will go to start his NBA career in a weak team. This is the principle of the league: the weakest teams have the right to recruit the strongest young players to rebalance the forces. NBA specialists already suspect that some franchises will let the season slip away to have a better chance of recruiting the Chesnay genius.
While playing a pre-season match in Abu Dhabi, Giannis Antetokounmpo also missed nothing of the kid’s exploits: “He is an incredible man. We have to prepare for this kid, he is going to be really good”, slips the “Greek Monster”. Yes, it will. He already is.
