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Victor Wembanyama is set to take the NBA by storm for the San Antonio Spurs and here is all you need to know about the 7-foot-tall phenom who has been projected to be the new basketball GOAT.
Victor Wembanyama Biography
Victor Wembanyama is a French professional basketball player who plays for the San Antonio Spurs after he was selected with the first pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
He was born on January 4, 2004, in Le Chesnay, France. Victor is known for his elegant style of play and extraordinary height, standing at 7 feet 4 inches (2.23 meters).
Wembanyama was interested in sports from an early age, first concentrating on basketball before taking up judo and football (soccer).
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His mother, Elodie de Fautereau, was a basketball player for the French national team before becoming a youth basketball coach, and his father, Félix Wembanyama, competed in track and field events such as the long jump and triple jump. Both of his parents were international competitors in their respective sports. Victor started practising with the neighbourhood basketball team Entente Le Chesnay-Versailles (ELCV) when he was seven years old. He frequently played in age divisions above his age level throughout his childhood basketball career, ranking among the youngest players in those categories.
When Wembanyama joined the Nanterre youth squad at age 10, he acquired experience playing in all areas of the court and started to hone a well-rounded skill set that included traditional guard-like shooting, passing, and on-ball defending skills. Wembanyama subsequently recalled that this was the time when he first thought about becoming a professional basketball player. By watching TV shows and online videos, he started teaching himself English, which he knew to be the language of the NBA.
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Victor Wembanyama career
At the age of 14, Wembanyama moved out of his family's house and into the dormitory for the Nanterre squad, where he lived and trained while attending a neighbouring high school. He made his professional debut in 2019 at the age of 15, playing briefly for Nanterre's senior team in the European professional basketball competition EuroCup, which won the competition. Wembanyama distinguished himself on both ends of the floor in the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament the next year as a 16-year-old playing for Nanterre's U18 squad, leading his team to a second-place finish.
Wembanyama moved from Nanterre to ASVEL Basket for the 2021–2022 season. ASVEL Basket competed in the top-tier men's French Pro A League (Ligue Nationale de Basket Pro A), which is owned by French–American former NBA great Tony Parker. Wembanyama and the French national team competed in the finals against the United States at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup, the world basketball youth championship.
Wembanyama distinguished himself for his exceptional defensive effort, setting a FIBA record for blocked shots in a single tournament (5.7 blocks per game), despite being two years younger than the next youngest player on the field. In 2020–21, he received the Pro A Best Young Player of the Year award.
Wembanyama caught the attention of American scouts after reaching his full height of 7 feet 4 inches and a wingspan of 8 feet (2.44 meters), and he was predicted to be the first choice in the 2023 NBA draft. Wembanyama departed ASVEL in search of a squad that would place a higher priority on his personal development after a season marked by a lack of playing time and further handicapped by injuries.
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For the 2022–2023 season, Wembanyama played in the Pro A League for the Boulogne–Levallois Metropolitans 92, where he led the league with averages of 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game. He won further honours as the league's top scorer, greatest shot blocker, best defender, and best player that season, making him the league's youngest recipient of the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
Wembanyama's Metropolitans 92 took on the NBA development squad G League Ignite and Scoot Henderson, who was regarded as the second-best player in the 2023 NBA draft class, in a pair of high-profile exhibition games in Henderson, Nevada, in October 2022. G League Ignite and Metropolitans 92 each took one game in the series, which they split. Wembanyama shined, scoring 73 points over the course of the two games and stoking interest in his potential NBA performance.
Wembanyama, who will be 19 years old in April 2023, made his plan to enter the NBA draft formally known. He joined Italian-born Andrea Bargnani as the second player from Europe to be taken first overall in the NBA draft when he was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in June.
Are Victor Wembanyama’s parents married?
It is unclear whether or not Victor Wembanyama’s parents are married, that information is not available to the public.
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Victor's father, Felix Wembanyama was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was a track and field athlete who competed in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump. He stands 6-foot-6 (198 cm) tall.
Victor owes a lot of his athleticism to his father, even though he wasn't a basketball fan, not just because of genetics but also because of the important principles he taught Victor.
His mother, Elodie de Fautereau is a former professional basketball player and now a dedicated coach who played a significant role in shaping Victor's love for the game.
Elodie once proudly represented the French national basketball team on the court, standing tall at 6 feet 2 inches. Victor has obviously been impacted by her ferocious competitiveness and playing abilities.
How tall is Victor Wembanyama?
The San Antonio Spurs announced that Victor Wembanyama is officially listed at 7 feet, 3-1/2 inches tall after his height was measured without shoes in accordance with NBA standards.
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When Wembanyama visited Las Vegas for two exhibition games in October, he claimed to be a half-inch taller than he is now.
He claimed to be 2.21 meters tall at the time; as of right now, he is almost 2.23 meters which makes sense given that he was 18 at the time, and turned 19 afterwards, and it's logical to assume he still has some room to grow.
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