NBA: Wembanyama gets warm welcome in first practice with Spurs

WASHINGTON -- Top NBA Draft pick Victor Wembanyama said Friday he felt good after his first practice with the San Antonio Spurs and received a warm welcome that excited him for actual games.

The 19-year-old Frenchman, considered the greatest NBA prospect since four-time Most Valuable Player LeBron James, joined his new teammates ahead of next week's start of Summer League contests.

"Felt really good," Wembanyama told reporters after the workout. "I had a warm welcome with the guys and I just can't wait."

The 7-foot-4 (2.24m) center will join the Spurs in Las Vegas, where they are set to face the Charlotte Hornets next Friday and the Portland Trail Blazers on July 9.

That would send Wembanyama against second overall pick Brandon Miller of Charlotte and third selection Scoot Henderson of Portland.

Wembanyama said he expects to play one or two games in Las Vegas.

He's coming off a run to the French league finals that ended earlier this month and a decision not to play for France in the Basketball World Cup later this year.

Wembanyama said he felt even better about his selection by the Spurs after getting some time with other players on the court.

"I was told beforehand there was a good dynamic with the team on and off the court and I started to feel it already," Wembanyama said.

"It just makes me even more certain that this is a good environment."

Wembanyama is just getting to know Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, the 74-year-old Hall of Fame legend who is the longest-tenured head coach in American sports after guiding the Spurs since 1996.

"I thought I would experience the yelling a bit earlier, but I haven't yet," Wembanyama said.

Popovich, a five-time NBA champion who guided US NBA stars to Tokyo Olympic gold, has mentored star big men David Robinson and Tim Duncan as well as French guard Tony Parker in their adjustments to the NBA.

"He works out more than I thought. Every morning he's there, running on the treadmill, lifting weights," Wembanyama said of Popovich.

"Other than that, he really communicates a lot with me and he doesn't want me to make -- he wants to take care of me and wants me to avoid making some mistakes."

It has been a whirlwind arrival from France for the teen superstar, who was hailed in San Antonio by fans and the focus of attention for days at last week's NBA Draft in New York.

"Every day has been different ever since I stepped in the States," said Wembanyama. "I think I've spent more time with the media than on the court. I'm glad it's beginning to settle down a little bit."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Rock-star welcome as Wembanyama arrives in San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO -- Hundreds of San Antonio Spurs fans braved sweltering temperatures to greet Victor Wembanyama on Friday as the French basketball prodigy and newly minted No.1 NBA Draft pick touched down in Texas.

Around 300 excited fans gathered at San Antonio Airport in ferocious 38-degree Celsius (100 Fahrenheit) heat as a private jet carrying Wembanyama touched down.

While media were allowed near the airport tarmac to report on Wembanyama's arrival, fans equipped with parasols and drinks coolers were kept behind a fence.

Cheers greeted the plane's arrival and a huge roar went up from fans when Wembanyama's brother Oscar appeared from within the plane, mistaken momentarily for his sibling.

When Wembanyama finally appeared he was greeted with more cheering before being hugged by San Antonio's team mascot, a coyote.

Wembanyama then obliged his fans by posing for selfies and giving autographs before shaking hands with police escort riders.

Wembanyama, who will be formally presented by the Spurs at an event in San Antonio on Saturday, was then whisked away as fans continued to cheer.

The teenager's selection by San Antonio at the draft in Brooklyn has sparked huge excitement in the Texas city, with Spurs fans hoping he will lead a revival of the club's fortunes.

The 7ft 4in (2.24m) forward is widely regarded as a once-in-a-generation talent, the most sought-after No.1 draft pick since LeBron James entered the NBA in 2003.

Agence France-Presse

Wembanyama chosen by Spurs with No. 1 pick in NBA Draft

NEW YORK -- France's Victor Wembanyama was chosen with the top pick in the NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, sparking wild celebrations as the Texas club reveled in landing the gifted teenager seen as a once-in-a-generation talent.

The 7-foot-4 19-year-old hugged family members as the Spurs confirmed a decision which had been a mere formality ever since San Antonio were handed the No. 1 selection in the Draft last month.

"Just accomplishing something that I've been dreaming about my whole life," Wembanyama said after his No. 1 status was announced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver at the Barclays Center in New York.

"Hearing that sentence from Adam Silver, I've dreamed of it so much -- I've gotta cry," he added.

Wembanyama is widely regarded as a transformational talent, who arrives in the NBA as the most coveted No. 1 pick since LeBron James entered the league in 2003.

In San Antonio, Spurs fans packed into the team's 19,000-capacity AT&T Center to watch the draft ceremony on a giant screen and roared with delight as Wembanyama's selection was confirmed.

Celebrations also erupted in the streets of the Texas city, with fans honking car horns in celebration of Wembanyama's selection.

"My message to them is I'm going to give 100 percent, make all that's in my power to make this franchise win, to have impact on the franchise and the fan base and the community," Wembanyama said.

Wembanyama has cut a relaxed figure since arriving in the United States earlier this week, brushing off the soaring hype that has surged in the build-up to the draft.

On Thursday, the Frenchman, wearing a dark green suit, happily signed autographs for fans in the minutes before the draft ceremony got under way.

In an interview with ESPN before his selection, Wembanyama said he was relishing the challenge of being a star both on and off the court.

More than basketball 

"I know I can bring so much more than just basketball to a franchise," Wembanyama said.

"My goal is always going to be to win titles, obviously. But also to the community, the franchise, to the fan base I know I can bring so much more."

Wembanyama will begin his NBA career under the watchful eye of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, the widely revered 74-year-old who has led San Antonio to five NBA Championships since taking over in 1996.

"We're thrilled that we're able to bring Victor on board," Popovich said at a press conference in San Antonio on Thursday.

"Anybody would be excited about getting the number one pick. I'm very excited. You don't want me to jump and down, or put on a show do you? I'd do a somersault but I'd be out for three months."

Popovich, meanwhile, brushed off invitations to compare Wembanyama with some of the greats of NBA history.

"I don't compare players, that'll never happen," Popovich said. "He's Victor -- and that's who I want him to be, and that's who myself and my staff will coach."

Wembanyama meanwhile earned a congratulatory message from France's President Emmanuel Macron.

"You're already making us dream...no doubt about it: you'll change the game," Macron wrote on Twitter.

With his potentially dominant blend of size and skill, Wembanyama has already drawn a legion of admirers across the NBA before even setting foot in the league.

LeBron James says Wembanyama's skillset makes him less a "unicorn" and "more like an alien."

"No one has ever seen someone as tall as he is and as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor," James said last year.

"He's for sure a generational talent."

If Wembanyama manages to live up to the hype, he could conceivably be one of the faces of the NBA for years to come, with the likes of stars such as James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant all well into the final phase of their playing careers.

NBA officials, meanwhile, say there is already evidence of a "Wembanyama effect," citing spikes on streaming platforms and social media.

"Victor is an incredibly promising young player who seemingly has all the attributes of a true game-changer," NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said.

Agence France-Presse

All eyes on 'game-changer' Wembanyama at NBA Draft

NEW YORK -- A new era for basketball gets under way on Thursday when French prodigy Victor Wembanyama is set to be chosen by the San Antonio Spurs with the top pick in the NBA Draft.

The annual ritual to allocate the top young talent entering the league is often accompanied by a swirl of intrigue over which player is likely to be selected No. 1 overall.

But that guessing game will be notably absent at Thursday's event in Brooklyn, with San Antonio's selection of the 19-year-old Wembanyama a mere formality.

The 7ft 4in (2.24m) French teenager is widely regarded as a transformational talent, a once-in-a-generation player regarded as the most sought-after No. 1 pick since LeBron James entered the league two decades ago.

Wild celebrations erupted among San Antonio's fans last month when the Spurs won the NBA Draft Lottery to determine which team would own the No. 1 pick.

Spurs staff also struggled in vain to keep a lid on their excitement, with chairman Peter J. Holt admitting: "I might faint."

San Antonio general manager Brian Wright sees Wembanyama, who will be formally unveiled by the team in Texas on Saturday, as a "unique talent."

"People talk about generational talent, and they only think on-court skill, but it's bigger than that," Wright told ESPN.

"You see him doing things that you wouldn't even have guessed someone could do," Wright added.

With his potentially dominant blend of size and skill, Wembanyama has already drawn a legion of admirers across the NBA before even setting foot in the league.

LeBron James says Wembanyama's skillset makes him less a "unicorn" and "more like an alien."

"No one has ever seen someone as tall as he is and as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor," James said after watching Wembanyama play a game for French club Metropolitans 92 in Nevada last year. "He's for sure a generational talent."

- 'True game-changer' -

Wembanyama, meanwhile, has remained level-headed as the hype surrounding reaches stratospheric levels.

The teenager arrived in New Jersey on Monday for draft week to be greeted by fans clad in Spurs jerseys requesting autographs.

"I don't know how they knew what flight I was on," Wembanyama said.

"But you know, it's fun, it's different, seeing that you can have such impact on people."

If Wembanyama manages to live up to the hype, he could conceivably be one of the faces of the NBA for years to come, with the likes of stars such as James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant all well into the final phase of their playing careers.

"The league would love to have new stars that capture the imagination of America and the world," said Eric Pincus, an NBA writer for the Bleacher Report website. "Luka Doncic is a starting point, but the hope is Wembanyama will do the same."

NBA officials, meanwhile, say there is already evidence of a "Wembanyama effect", citing spikes on streaming platforms and social media.

"Victor is an incredibly promising young player who seemingly has all the attributes of a true game-changer," NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said.

"We've already seen the enormous interest he has generated among NBA fans from streaming his games on the NBA App and featuring his highlights on NBA social media channels."

Unsurprisingly, Wembanyama's arrival in the NBA has sparked a commercial bonanza.

He is widely expected to sign a record-breaking, improved sponsorship deal with Nike that some analysts say could reach $100 million.

Other lucrative endorsement deals are also expected to follow, although Wembanyama has indicated that his priority remains on-court success.

"Victor is rejecting some rich million-dollar deals right now because he wants to focus on basketball," Wembanyama's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, said.

Agence France-Presse

Legendary 'Coach Pop' to oversee Wembanyama's NBA start

NEW YORK -- Victor Wembanyama's early NBA days will be overseen by one of the league's most legendary coaches, outspoken Gregg Popovich, who helped transform another French teen, Tony Parker, into a superstar.

Popovich, the 74-year-old son of a Serbian father and Croatian mother, is the longest-tenured coach in any major American sports league, having guided the Spurs since 1996.

With discipline and priorities formed while at the US Air Force Academy in the 1960s, Popovich has become a five-time NBA champion head coach, a three-time NBA Coach of the Year and in August will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

"What makes a great coach is getting a lot of young men and helping them become men, adding to their life," said NBA guard Dwyane Wade. "Coach Pop has done an amazing job of helping young men become grown-ass men."

Golden State coach Steve Kerr, who won two NBA titles playing under Popovich, praised his impact.

"He's amazing," Kerr said. "There are just so many people like me whose lives have been impacted so dramatically and so positively by Pop. One of the most influential people ever in my life. I owe him so much."

Popovich mentored top draft pick Tim Duncan in 1997 and Parker when he came to the NBA in 2001.

"I loved playing for Pop," Parker said. "Pop was huge. I always trust Pop's judgment."

Popovich accepts the challenge of a new generation with Wembanyama, the most talented prospect since LeBron James with size like Duncan and Parker-esque skills.

"He has still got it. He can do this for a lot longer," said Kerr. "One of Pop's great abilities has been his willingness and eagerness to adapt.

"He really understood what was happening around the league with speed, pace and ball movement. He was ahead of the curve all the time."

The Spurs, who made the playoffs 22 straight years under Pop, have missed the playoffs for four seasons, going 20-62 this past campaign.

A grizzled, gritty and sometimes grumpy Popovich will try to teach Wembanyama to maximize his unique talents as he did with Parker.

"At one of (Parker's) first practices, I brought a few guys to get in his face," Popovich said. "I wanted to see what he had in the belly. I was impressed with him. So I told him, 'The ball is yours, find solutions, I'll love you and yell at you at the same time.'"

Popovich embraced global talent early, bringing more than 40 players from beyond US borders onto the Spurs roster, and made Becky Hammon the NBA's first female assistant coach.

Popovich passed Lenny Wilkens to become the NBA's all-time winningest coach in 2019 with his 1,413th career triumph in playoff and regular-season games.

In 2022, he won an NBA record 1,336th regular-season game, accepting the feat with sarcasm.

"What I could do in my retirement, what kind of wine I could drink, all these things become bland when I think about the number of victories I have," Popovich deadpanned.

Humor is one of the ways Popovich measures people, saying in 2015 that those "who don't appreciate funny moments won't be able to give their all for a group."

- Social justice champion -

Popovich, a noted wine collector, is also outspoken on social justice.

Popovich spoke out about reparations for Black people in 2020, saying protests helped "get all the way to the reparations discussion and not just wait for legislation and laws."

Last July, Popovich ripped "rampant" US racism, saying, "I had no idea it was to this level... it pisses me off, it hurts me, it confounds me."

After 21 people were killed in a Texas elementary school shooting, Popovich railed against officials sending "thoughts and prayers" without changing gun laws.

"They're the same statements after every massacre," he said. "They think we're stupid so they'll keep bringing it up, but they'll listen to us if we're angry enough and we're committed enough."

Agence France-Presse