Wednesday, November 2, 2022. A tall boy dressed in white from head to toe enters the Playground Duperré, a stone’s throw from Place Pigalle in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The kids playing it open their eyes wide and respectfully give way to this smiling giant. Wembamania has been hitting hard for only a fortnight and these players have not yet put a name to this phenomenon which enters this basketball court of all colors, one of the most beautiful in the capital. His name is Victor Wembanyama. The 2.21m giant is not alone: a dozen people and professional equipment accompany him. He’s here for a photo shoot. These people work for the American sports magazine « Sports Illustrated ».
Attention, we are talking about the bible of US sports magazines. The monthly delights some 3 million subscribers and 23 million readers. These photos taken the day after All Saints make the cover of the March issue of this institution with a title: “Why the Parisian prodigy is the best NBA prospect (hope) in the generation. This isn’t the first time “Sports Illustrated” has featured a basketball player who has yet to set foot in the NBA. It’s already happened at least once: in 2003, a young 18-year-old was also entitled to the front page with a loud cry and three words that still stick to his skin today: “The Chosen One” , ” the chosen “.
This kid was called LeBron James. “If you ask any scout in the NBA who is the best prospect since Lebron James, a youngster as strong, talented and promising as he was in his time, they will answer Victor Wembanyama. Twenty years ago, LeBron had it all: speed, power, charisma. Victor has all that too. He even has more: his size and his incredible flexibility which allow him to shoot at three points without problem » The one who pronounces these words is Chris Mannix, the boss of the NBA section of the magazine. He knows what he is talking about. Rare are the French who before Wemby had the privilege of having their heads in all the newsstands in the 4 corners of the United States. Tony Parker got it but to celebrate his NBA titles. Kylian Mbappé was entitled to it at the end of December after the World Cup.
The magazine spent three days with him this fall
This fall, “Sports Illustrated” spent three days with Victor Wembanyama and his entourage for a visit to Paris close to the “Fabulous destiny of Amélie Poulain”. The future number 1 of the NBA Draft posed on the Bir-Hakeim bridge (15th century) ball in hand with the Eiffel Tower in the background. On the evening of November 2, he took a break and a coffee on the terrace of a typical bistro, to the great astonishment of the other customers.
The next day, he led the Americans into the locker room at the Marcel-Cerdan Sports Palace for morning training. It was the day before a match against Limoges. They attended his demonstration: 33 points that evening. The monthly evokes it in its columns.
“Sports Illustrated” took him to an art gallery to admire paintings and sculptures. Wemby draws and considers himself an artist. He was in his element. In the interview conducted for our American colleagues in a restaurant on the Ile de la Jatte between Neuilly-sur-Seine and Levallois where a few days later he granted us an exclusive interview, Victor Wembanyama reminded the Americans how much he is also a fan of “Game of Thrones” and “Star Wars”.
The “Alien” dear to LeBron James describes all this in perfect English. To the Americans, Victor Wembanyama recalls in passing his attachment to the Blue jersey of the French team with Paris 2024 in his sights. Above all, he confirms to them that he is already ready for the NBA and to bite into it.
ESPN, the major US sports channel, will soon broadcast a long report on him, for its millions of subscribers from New York to Los Angeles. In October, the basketball magazine “Slam” had already dedicated its front page to him. Before him, only one other European who had not yet played in the NBA had had this chance: the Slovenian Luka Doncic. It’s quite promising. The US press rolls out the red carpet to the Frenchman. And she hasn’t finished talking about him.
