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Victor Wembanyama (/ˌwɛmbənˈjɑːmə/ WEM-bən-YAH-mə;[1] French: [viktɔʁ wɛmbanjama]; born 4 January 2004), nicknamed "Wemby"[2] or "the Alien", is a French professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Considered one of the best basketball prospects of his generation due to his rare combination of height, length, speed, ball-handling skills and agility, he was selected first overall by the Spurs in the 2023 NBA draft.
Wembanyama began his professional career at age 15 with Nanterre 92 of the LNB Pro A in 2019. Two years later, he moved to ASVEL and won the Pro A title in his only season with the team. In the 2022–23 season, Wembanyama signed with Metropolitans 92 and became the youngest player to win the Pro A MVP award, while earning Pro A Best Defender honours and leading the league in scoring, rebounds and blocks. He was unanimously named an LNB All-Star twice, winning the All-Star Game MVP once, and was a three-time Pro A Best Young Player.
Wembanyama also plays for the French national team, with whom he won a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. At the youth level, he led his team to two silver medals, including at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where he set the FIBA record for blocks per game in a single tournament.
Following a historic rookie season in the NBA, Wembanyama was unanimously named the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year, finished second in the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year voting to compatriot Rudy Gobert, and became the first rookie to be ever named to the All-Defensive First Team.[3][4]
- ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide" (Press release). National Basketball Association. 24 October 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
- ^ Williams, Randall (5 January 2024). "Victor Wembanyama Sets Course to Become a Basketball Billionaire Unlike Any Other". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 5 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
- ^ Lopez, Andrew (6 May 2024). "Spurs' Victor Wembanyama voted unanimous Rookie of Year". ESPN.com. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ "Rudy Gobert wins record-tying 4th Defensive Player of the Year award. Victor Wembanyama finishes 2nd". AP News. 7 May 2024. Retrieved 10 May 2024.