Victor Wembanyana of France inroduced himself to America this week when the 7-4 18 year old phenom scored 37 points had four rebounds and five blocked shots for the Metropolitans 92, a team from the top league in France, during an exhibiton game agaisnt the G League Ignite in Las Vegas.
This is the world’s next great player, an improved version of Chet Holmgren who is a lock to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft at the age of 19 1/2.
Some 200 NBA scouts were there to bare witness to a player who could have the best impact since LeBron James, who entered the league out of high school in 2003 .
Wembanyana, who has a wing span of nearly eight feet who can handle, shoot threes and was so dominant, there was already talk of shutting down for the rest of the season to avoid injury. There is already heavy speculation tanking will be rempant for the worst teams down the stretch of the season if it means creating the best chance to get this franchise player in the NBA lottery. We’ve seen this before.
That’s not going to happen, according to his agent Bouna Ndiaye.
“NBA people are teling me to shut him down, and we are not going to shut him down,” Ndiaye said. “If we came with that kind of talk he will look at us and say, ‘ What are you talking about?’ He will never agree to that. He wants to compete and get better. With Victor it’s basketball first and everything else second. He was so possed off that he lost the game.”
Guard Scooter Henderson, another teenage phoenom from North Carolina who could be the second pick in the draft, scored 28 points as the G-League Ignite won this intriguing matchup, 122-115.
Wembanyama made 7 of 11 threes from the NBA line and his combination of size and skill was too much to overlook.
“I’ve always been trying to be original. Unique. That’s the word,” he told the AP. “My goal is to be something you’re never seen.”
