How to watch the highly anticipated San Antonio Spurs debut of Victor Wembanyama
This is the time that fans of basketball, especially those
who root for the San Antonio Spurs, have been waiting for.
The Spurs will host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night, marking the debut of French phenom Victor Wembanyama in an NBA contest.
The No. 1 choice in the 2023 draft has wowed French fans with his incredible skills for several
years and is widely regarded as the most exciting NBA prospect since LeBron
James. The 19-year-old Wembanyama is seven feet, four inches tall, with an eight-foot wingspan. He has all the physical characteristics you would expect from a player in the NBA of
his stature, including rebounding, shot blocking, and threat ability around the
rim. But what really sets him apart from the others is not just his height but also his quickness,
dexterity, and marksmanship. A player the size of Wembanyama has never moved
like the Frenchman in NBA history.
A single sequence in the Spurs' preseason encounter with the Golden State Warriors exemplified this movement to perfection.Wembanyama had both of his feet in the paint and
appeared to have a clear opportunity for the Warriors player until Steph Curry
threw the ball to Andrew Wiggins, who was positioned outside the three-point
line.
Wembanyama, though, stopped Wiggins' three-point effort with a single stride and a leap.
These incidents clarify the adolescent's frequent labeling as a "cheat code."
While Wembanyama has had setbacks during the preseason—a perfectly natural experience for any rookie—as he gets used to playing against NBA players, the highlights have
definitely exceeded those challenging periods.Getting to the top
Wembanyama always looked destined for a career in sports.
His mother used to be a basketball player and is now a coach; his father was a high jumper; and he has two siblings who are also basketball players: his older sister Eve and his
younger brother Oscar.
In the 1960s,Michel De Fautereau, his grandfather, participated in French top-flight play as
a player for Paris University Club.
In addition to basketball, Wembanyama experimented with judo, football, and other sports when he was younger. However, the initial
step towards the career he would eventually flourish in was unplanned.
While Wembanyama was playing in an Under-11 competition, Michaël Allard, the coach of basketball team Nanterre 92, happened to be observing.Allard thought he saw the attention
of an assistant coach sitting on the bench. In actuality, the assistant coach
was 11-year-old Wembanyama, and after Allard realized his error, he called the
French club's Under-11 technical director to let them know about this promising
talent.
Wembanyama was signed up right away by Nanterre, where he advanced through the juvenile divisions and quickly became well-versed in the game while embracing the sport.
How to see NBA League Pass is available to anyone outside of the US who wants to see the Spurs vs. Mavericks game that will be nationally televised in the US on ESPN.