Although it won’t become official until June 22, Victor Wembanyama on Tuesday found out where he will begin his NBA career.
The San Antonio Spurs, who haven’t made a top-five pick since 1997, won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. With that triumph, Gregg Popovich and company earned the opportunity to use the No. 1 overall selection on Wembanyama, widely regarded as the best basketball prospect since LeBron James.
As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted in a column published Tuesday evening, Wembanyama went into the spring without a clear preference for a landing spot. However, the Spurs are very popular in his native France, the home country of San Antonio greats and NBA champions Tony Parker and Boris Diaw. As such, Wembanyama, his family and his team were “pleased” with the ping pong balls bouncing the Spurs’ way.
“My heart’s beating (fast),” Wembanyama told Windhorst after San Antonio won the lottery. “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.”
Wembanyama will head to the Spurs with a mindset the organization can appreciate. The 19-year-old told Windhorst he’s “trying to win a ring ASAP,” and under Popovich, that’s all that matters in San Antonio.
