Victor Wembanyama with his head in the stars. Little stars, but still. Not selected for the All Star Game, any more than Rudy Gobert, the French giant (2.24m) from San Antonio is indeed present in Indianapolis, where the All Star weekend takes place. And rather twice than once. Wemby will indeed participate in the Rising Stars Challenge next night (3 a.m.), alongside his former friend from Boulogne-Levallois Bilal Coulibaly (Washington), within Team Pau Gasol. On Saturday, he will be on the track again, this time for the Skills challenge (from 2 a.m.).
As for the All Star Game, he will have to wait a little longer. A priori, not very long at the rate the 20-year-old from Ile-de-France is going… Probably from next year in fact. “I don’t skip steps, that’s what I’ve always been told. But that sometimes didn’t stop me from running over them (smile),” he laughs, he who still sees himself as “a student of the NBA, even if I know more or less how everything is working”. And added, on what the 12-year-old Victor would say about his presence at All Star weekend: “If you had asked me the question when I was 12, I would probably have answered ‘why not earlier, why not the year before?” (smile). When I was little, one of my goals was to participate in the 2016 Olympics. I’m a little late for that (smile). I already had high expectations at that point.”
Also read: Wembanyama on Mbappé, announced leaving PSG next summer: “It would be hard to keep him any longer”
Ambition has never lacked for “Wemby”, who won the French championship last season before arriving like a hurricane in the NBA. Number 1 in the Draft, like his jersey number. A mixed start in terms of his standards, including questionable statistics in terms of percentages and turnovers. It has since been resolved. Clean game. He had a month of January with 24 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks, with 50.6% shooting, including 32.4 from distance! Too late to really claim a place in Sunday’s All-Star Game, but enough to take the lead in the race for the Rookie of the Year title ahead of Chet Holmgren, American pivot from Oklahoma City, second in the West.
The machine is working. Nothing seems to be able to stop him anymore. And that’s just the beginning… “I would like to be like Wilt Chamberlain at times, he was so special,” he said, in response to a question about the man we nicknamed the stilt walker. . He’s a mutant, he was ahead of his time, who changed the game so much…” Kind of like Frenchy?
Above all, the Spurs are starting to look like something on a collective level. “Expectations ? If we talk about my coaches and my teammates, they have only increased throughout the season. I hope it continues like this in the years to come because we aim to be in the play-offs quickly and win,” he slips. This will obviously not happen right away. San Antonio remains last in the West (11 wins, 44 losses) and has won only one of its last nine matches before the cut linked to the All Star Game. However, things are getting better since the terrible series of 18 defeats at the end of the year. Series ended against the L.A. Lakers (129-115) in mid-December.
Let us remember that Wembanyama, as talented as he is, is only 20 years old and is still in the learning phase, having had his playing time limited for several weeks at the start of the year. , after a sprained ankle. Since then, there has notably been this first triple-double with 10 blocks – he had already made one with 10 assists – and his passing the milestone of 1000 career points as highlights. The main changes between the NBA and Europe? “The talent level is so incredible… It’s hard to defend. The choices to be made are different on the offensive level, the positions… It’s very different,” he breathes, explaining that “each new validated step is a small birth certificate. There have been several since the start of the season. We think in particular of his 38-point card against Phoenix at the start of the season, against Kevin Durant, who “is rather hard to defend, even if you feel like you did your best, he scores”. This is somewhat the case for Wembanyama, the best blocker in the NBA.
A significant impact on the floor but also off it, the NBA and the Spurs relying heavily on the French international (4 selections) in terms of marketing. His jerseys sell like hotcakes. The person concerned is not fooled. When asked about his popularity in the United States, he had this to say: “How do I explain it? Well, I’m a nice guy, right (laughs)? Honestly, there has been a certain amount of emphasis from the media and the NBA, which can be explained by my desire to do things well and the fact that I know how to express myself politely, to speak well and that I have tried , on several occasions, to get closer to the American public, to speak English. And in France, there is the fact that I am attached to the country. All good, on and off the floor.
While waiting for the rest of the season in the NBA, with the Olympics in their sights, it’s time to party for Victor Wembanyama and company in Indiana. Although, this pathological competitor is not here to joke. “Any advice to my teammates at Rising Stars on how to best serve me? I’m going to keep my secrets, I want to beat these guys during the season,” he slips, he who hasn’t had time to be bored since his arrival in Indianapolis. “It’s been a busy schedule so far, but that’s why I’m here, lots of cool experiences. I can’t wait to play this match, two I hope (to go to the final). And for next year, I hope to be at the big game.” It’s not the riskiest bet… This time, the big match, 73rd of the name, will be without him. Kick-off at 2 a.m., Sunday night to Monday.
