Expectations for the French basketball player are high among both NBA fans and sports betting operators who offer numerous online gambling options. Victor Wembanyama, a 19-year-old Frenchman selected as the first pick in the NBA draft, is already regarded as a future basketball star at the global level, but can he be considered the worthy successor to Lebron James? Let’s see all the details about his career and the young basketball player’s prospects.
Who is Victor Wembanyama?
Victor Wembanyama’s name has been circulating among the top levels of basketball for several years now. The 19-year-old Frenchman grew up in Nanterre, a club that made him debut as early as age 15 in the Eurocup, giving him a few minutes of play on two occasions. In 2020 he began to make a name for himself within the French league, boasting 10 starting appearances in 18 games during his first season.
His first major titles came in 2021-22, when he became champion of France with ASVEL, however, Wembanyama established himself as a true leader from the 2022-23 season with the Metropolitans 92 jersey. Even before he turned 19, he then set a new record, that of reaching the mark of 618 points scored before his 19th birthday, surpassing as a youngster the record of Antoine Rigadeau, who had stopped at 605.
Lebron James’ comment on Wembanyama.
Victor Wembanyama’s physique looks like a machine created specifically for playing basketball. This factor, in addition to the young basketball player’s talent, has already caught the attention of some of the biggest names in basketball today, including Lebron James himself.
Starting with the physical statistics of the future French star, Wembanyama’s height immediately stands out, an impressive 221 cm, a measurement accompanied by a 243 cm wingspan. The latter next season, when Victor officially joins the NBA, will be the widest among all players currently under contract in the American league.
On him Lebron James expressed himself saying that he has never personally seen, or at any rate that no one has ever seen, a person of Victor Wembanyama’s height be so fluid and graceful on the court.
On balance, the young French basketball player has all the credentials to become the NBA’s new star, able moreover to carry on the legacy of Lebron James, becoming his worthy successor because of all the technical qualities involved, from dribbling to shooting, but also because of the right attitude with which he moves on the court.
Wembanyama’s palmares and promising future.
If there is one thing Victor is no stranger to doing, that is standing out on the basketball court both in achievements and broken records. In the palmares of the young basketball player we find of already a second place at the U16 European Championships in 2019 and a second place at the U19 World Championships in 2021, as well as the award as the best young player in the French league for three seasons from 2020 to 2023.
In 2022 he was crowned champion of France, in the same year he was elected MVP of the LNB All Star Game, and MVP of the French league and best defender in the last season.
As for the future, Wembanyama was selected by the San Antonio Spurs as the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, becoming the first French basketball player to be selected first. The player said he wants to become a major player in the American league, emulating the achievements of basketball players such as Jokic and Antetokounmpo. Expectations about his future remain sky high, but Wembanyama remains focused on the moment, saying he wants to give fans a similar amount of enjoyment as he himself has been experiencing lately.
