Victor Wembanyama scored 14 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter of a 93-85 victory for his Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans over crosstown rival Paris Basketball. He made a series of jumpers in traffic to help his team take a fourth-quarter lead and then iced it with a thunderous dunk with six seconds left. Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans went into the second seed for the upcoming French Pro A League playoffs.
Wembanyama attends draft lottery party with family, teammates, coaches, and celebs
After the game, Wembanyama was in a car on the way to Nike’s Paris headquarters on the Champs Elysees, dressed for a draft lottery party that started at nearly midnight. Family, teammates, coaches, friends, and celebs joined him for a spirited event that had to last into the middle of the night because the lottery didn’t begin until 2 a.m. local time.
Wembanyama’s journey to the San Antonio Spurs
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski opened the lottery broadcast by saying NBA teams viewed Wembanyama as maybe the most highly anticipated player to enter the draft and “maybe the greatest prospect in the history of team sports.” When the envelope for the second pick was opened to reveal a teal Hornets logo, meaning the Spurs had gotten the winning number 4,000 miles away, the room burst into applause. Wembanyama, with his parents on each side of him, broke into a smile before emotion came over his face as he wiped his eyes at the gravity of the moment.
The Spurs are a popular team in France because national basketball legends Boris Diaw and Tony Parker thrived and won titles in San Antonio. “My heart’s beating [fast],” Wembanyama said after he learned of his destination. “I’ve got everyone I know, everyone I love around me. It’s a really special moment I’m going to remember the rest of my life.”
San Antonio drafted Hall of Fame big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan the past two times it had the No. 1 overall pick. Though NBA teams were asked by the league office in a recent memo not to disclose their choice in the event they won the lottery, there was no mystery about Wembanyama’s future as dawn approached in the French capital. Wembanyama, on a draining but fulfilling day, headed off to bed knowing he would be a Spur. “I’m trying to win a ring ASAP,” he said. “So get ready.”
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