NBA Draft
Projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama appreciates stardom ahead of NBA Draft: ‘I’m just so lucky’
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated04 Apr 2024
The first chapter of Victor Wembanyama’s NBA story is finally being written, as the player has enjoyed stardom after spending some days in the United States ahead of this Thursday’s NBA Draft, where he is expected to be the No. 1 pick and head to the San Antonio Spurs.
“Ever since I knew about the draft, exactly how it worked, I wanted to be first,” the French sensation confessed on Wednesday. “I think I started to realize I could be a professional basketball player at the age of 12. Tomorrow, something’s going to happen, something that I’ve been thinking [about] for years and years, I can’t really describe how I feel right now. I just know I’m going to have trouble sleeping tonight, for sure.”
Even though top prospects like Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller have a huge future ahead of them, there has been almost no debate on Wembanyama’s stance as the player with the biggest potential during this upcoming draft.
Neverthless, the 19-year-old will remain cautious until he is chosen by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “Not there yet,” he said humbly. “But thank you.”
Although you might think it’s not easy to live up to the pressure of being called “the best prospect since LeBron James” came out of high school two decades ago, Wembanyama insists they don’t affect him too much.
“I don’t let all this stuff get into my head,” he said. “I’ve got such high expectations for myself that I’m immune to all this stuff. I really don’t care.”
Check out some of Wemby’s best moments during his two-day vacations in New York:
As the rising star recently lost the French championship finals to AS Monaco, he headed over to the United States to get acquainted with his new life and surprised many when he arrived in New York on Monday. By Tuesday, he took his first subway ride with a trip to Yankee Stadium. Finally on Wednesday, he started new workout sessions with a coach.
