Victor Wembanyama: France’s next big thing, literally
Victor Wembanyama is one of the biggest stars at the Olympics, both physically and in terms of fame. BBC Sport takes a look at what he’s all about
Victor Wembanyama is a seven-foot-four giant who, this season, has established himself as a generational talent impacting both the NBA and French national team.
The 20-year-old San Antonio Spurs player dominated the league in his first season, scooping the Rookie of the Year award, and has stood out as a franchise athlete at his home Olympics in Paris.
Nicknamed ‘the Alien’ for his extraordinary height, wingspan and athleticism, he is on course to dominate for years to come.
“He just works every day, he puts a crazy amount of hours into his body, into his basketball IQ,” his Spurs team-mate Jeremy Sochan told BBC Sport.
This video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
The Parisian was the number one draft pick in 2023 joining the league with an enormous amount of hype behind him.
Averaging 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds for the 2023-24 season he was head and shoulders above his Spurs team-mates in a side that finished second bottom in the western conference.
And if you haven’t realised already from this article Wembanyama – we can’t stress this enough – is gigantic.
Wembanyama is tied with the Houston Rockets’ Boban Marjanovic and Memphis Grizzlies’ Zach Edey as the tallest players currently in the NBA.
Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol are the tallest players to have ever played in the league, both standing at seven foot seven.
Wembanyama is tied as the ninth tallest player in NBA history with several players, including Marjanovic and Edey.
More than just height though…
His height, along with an estimated eight-foot wingspan, makes for a profile tailor-made for a centre who can be destructive in and around the basket.
But Wembanyama has said himself that he does not want to just play in that position.
And why should he? He’s got the dribbling ability of a wing, can shoot from most positions on the floor and provides an extraordinary blocking game… He offers versatility across the court.
And it’s the same on the French national team: he and Minnesota Timberwolves centre Rudy Gobert in tandem can serve as a defensive wall.
What’s next for ‘Wemby?’
Despite a poor record from a young side that looked to experiment with what position Wembanyama plays best, the blueprint is there.
He plays under one of the league’s most successful head coaches, five-time champion Gregg Popovich, and there are not many Wembanyama could learn more from.
If they get the right pieces around him, like veteran point guard Chris Paul who they acquired over the summer from the Golden State Warriors, the Spurs won’t be far off returning as title contenders in years to come.
After all, they’ve been there before and it was with the help of a Frenchman in Tony Parker they bagged their last championship in 2014.
Albeit he was a little bit smaller, at just six foot two…
Wembanyama’s early dominance has led to many predicting he will be the next ‘face of the NBA’.
This is a title usually bestowed on someone who makes significant waves off the court as well – which ‘Wemby’ is doing.
He teamed up with luxury French fashion brand Louis Vuitton, signing as a brand ambassador at the start of 2024.
He’s also bagged a shoe deal with Nike which is rumoured to be over $100m (£84.2m), putting himself at the forefront of basketball culture.
And with the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Indiana Pacers in 2025’s NBA Paris game, Wembanyama will be front and centre, especially given it takes place during Paris fashion week.
A player who, in daily life, has to duck to avoid most ceilings doesn’t seem to have one for his career.
