He was charming. He was humble.
He was confident without coming off as cocky.
He was thoughtful, he was insightful and he was funny.
Victor Wembanyama met the media Wednesday morning and wowed everyone along with his outgoing personality.
If the pressure is attending to the 7-foot-4 unicorn of a prospect, he did a implausible job of hiding it.
The French big man with guard skills whom experts have been raving about for years (calling him one of the best prospect since LeBron James), seemed ready for his moment Thursday night within the NBA draft at Barclays Center and the immense pressure that can follow.
He’s not concerned with the surface hype, that greatness is predicted of him, or that anything in need of a Hall of Fame profession can be deemed a disappointment.
“I don’t let this, all these items, get into my head because I got such high expectations for myself that I’m proof against all these items,” he said. “So I actually don’t care.”
This has been the plan all along, because it became clear he was different, that he could do such unique things on a basketball court for somebody his size.
His life will probably be without end modified when the Spurs select him first overall 26 years after they lucked out in landing Tim Duncan.
Wembanyama said he feels prepared for what’s in store.
“Ever since I knew concerning the draft, exactly the way it worked, I desired to be first,” he said. “I feel I began to understand I might be an expert basketball player on the age of 12. Tomorrow, something goes to occur, something I’ve been fascinated about for years and years. I can’t really describe how I feel without delay. I just know I’m going to have trouble sleeping tonight. I’ve been really, really lucky to live this life. I’m just so lucky.”
He doesn’t appear to mind the eye that others have shied away from.
On Tuesday, Wembanyama hopped on the subway to go to The Bronx and throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Yankees game.
He has yet to see the sights of Latest York City, but did plan to walk around midtown sooner or later before the draft, even when that meant getting mobbed by Latest Yorkers.
He said he doesn’t wish to miss a possibility to see the large city.
“I’m attempting to be one of the best, so being one of the best, it’s not only on the court,” he said. “There’s [other] dimensions of a person basketball player, an NBA player, and I would like to be one of the best also on the media, the press conference, all that stuff. I don’t wish to do things halfway. I’m attempting to enjoy it.”
This isn’t an act.
Arnaud Valadon, a French sports reporter who made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean for the draft, said the 19-year-old Wembanyama has been mature beyond his age for years.
Back home, excitement began to choose up in the autumn, after Wembanyama played along with his team, Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, in a showcase event in Las Vegas.
His jersey began selling at an exponential rate.
His team’s games needed to be moved to greater arenas.
Everyone desired to catch a glimpse of him before he was drafted into the NBA.
“In my mind, Victor will be on the identical level as Kylian Mbappé,” Valadon said, referring to the French soccer superstar.
It has been a dizzying 12 months for Wembanyama, who recently led Metropolitans 92 to the LNB Pro A Finals.
It will be comprehensible if he desired to rest, but that’s not in his plans, either.
He fully plans to play within the NBA Summer League in July.
Since his season ended, he has missed just in the future of weight lifting — the day of his flight to Latest York.
In August, he’s set to represent France within the FIBA World Cup,
“I’m in shape,” he said. “I’m not too drained.”
Victor Wembanyama sounds ready for the challenge that awaits him.
The overwhelming hype doesn’t seem like an excessive amount of for what experts consider is a generational talent.
Soon, he’ll get to prove it.
