Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama ( WEM-bən-YAH-mə; French: [viktɔʁ wɛmbanjama]; born 4 January 2004), nicknamed "Wemby" and "the Alien", is a French professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected first overall by the Spurs in the 2023 NBA draft and is considered one of the best basketball prospects ever due to his rare combination of height, agility, and skills.

Wembanyama began his professional career at age 15 with Nanterre 92 of the LNB Pro A in 2019. Two years later, he moved to ASVEL and won the Pro A title in his only season with the team. In the 2022–23 season, Wembanyama signed with Metropolitans 92 and became the youngest player to win the Pro A MVP award, while earning Pro A Best Defender honours and leading the league in scoring, rebounds and blocks. He was unanimously named an LNB All-Star twice, winning the All-Star Game MVP once, and was a three-time Pro A Best Young Player.

Wembanyama also plays for the French national team, with whom he won a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. At the youth level, he led his team to two silver medals, including at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where he set the FIBA record for blocks per game in a single tournament.

Following a historic rookie season in the NBA in which he led the league in blocks per game, Wembanyama was unanimously named the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year, finished second in the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year voting to compatriot Rudy Gobert, and became the first rookie ever to be named to the All-Defensive First Team.

Early life and youth career

Victor Nonga Wembanyama-de Fautereau-Vassel was born on 4 January 2004, in Le Chesnay, in the Paris region. His father, Félix, is of Congolese origin and was a track and field athlete who competed in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. Born in Belgium, Félix acquired French nationality by naturalisation on 10 February 2003. Victor's mother, Élodie de Fautereau, is a French basketball coach and former player. Wembanyama's father and mother are 1.98 metres (6 ft 6 in) and 1.91 metres (6 ft 3 in) tall, respectively. His older sister, Ève, plays basketball professionally, and his younger brother, Oscar, has played basketball and handball at the youth level. His maternal grandfather, Michel de Fautereau, played professional basketball, and his grandmother, Marie-Christine, also played the sport.

Wembanyama played football as a goalkeeper and practised judo before focusing on basketball. He learned to play basketball from his mother, who was coaching youth teams. At age seven, Wembanyama began playing for Entente Le Chesnay Versailles, before joining the youth system of Nanterre 92 at age 10. He drew the attention of Nanterre in 2013 after Michaël Allard, a youth coach for the club, noticed him on the bench at an under-11 game due to his exceptional height, at 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in), initially mistaking him for a coach. In February 2018, Wembanyama was loaned to FC Barcelona for the Minicopa del Rey, an under-14 tournament in Spain, leading his team to third place. He declined an offer to continue his career with Barcelona, citing that the coaches were not willing to challenge him.

Professional career

Nanterre 92 (2019–2021)

In the 2019–20 season, Wembanyama gained his first professional experience with the Nanterre 92 senior team under head coach Pascal Donnadieu, receiving limited playing time in two games. He primarily competed in LNB Espoirs, the French under-21 league, and also played for the under-18 team. Wembanyama made his professional debut on 29 October 2019, playing 31 seconds against Brescia in the EuroCup. At 15 years, nine months and 25 days old, he was the second-youngest player after Stefan Petković to play in the EuroCup. In February 2020, Wembanyama played for Nanterre's under-18 team at the Kaunas qualifying tournament for the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT). On 8 February, he posted 22 points, 15 rebounds and an ANGT-record nine blocks in a win over the under-18 team of Zaragoza. Wembanyama averaged 15.8 points, 12 rebounds, 2.8 steals, and six blocks per game in Kaunas, leading the tournament in blocks and earning all-tournament team honours. He finished the Espoirs season averaging 10.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game, mostly coming off the bench.

In the 2020–21 season, Wembanyama split time between Nanterre's senior and under-21 teams and signed an agreement to also play for Centre Fédéral in the Nationale Masculine 1 (NM1). On 23 September 2020, he made his LNB Pro A debut, grabbing one rebound in four minutes against JL Bourg. In October, Wembanyama featured in a viral video where he showcased his skills in a two-on-two pick-up game against Rudy Gobert and Vincent Poirier. On 12 December, he suffered a stress fracture in his fibula during an Espoirs game against BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque, with an estimated recovery time of eight weeks. Wembanyama was sidelined from the Valencia qualifying tournament for the ANGT. After missing two and a half months with injury, he began receiving more playing time with the senior team. On 25 May 2021, Wembanyama recorded season-highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 99–87 win over Orléans Loiret. He started in 10 of 18 Pro A appearances, averaging 6.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game, and was named Pro A Best Young Player. In Espoirs, Wembanyama averaged 13.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.2 blocks, starting in all five of his games. He played four games for Centre Fédéral, averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and three blocks per game. Following the season, he opted to leave Nanterre.

ASVEL (2021–2022)

On 29 June 2021, Wembanyama signed a three-year contract with ASVEL of the Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was unable to play for one month at the start of the season because of an illness. On 1 October, Wembanyama made his EuroLeague debut, recording one block in three minutes in an 88–76 win over Žalgiris. On 10 November, ASVEL announced that he would miss two to three weeks with a fractured finger. He returned on 2 December, but was sidelined again on 20 December, after suffering a bone bruise in his right shoulder against Zenit Saint Petersburg, with an estimated recovery time of four to six weeks. Wembanyama was selected to the LNB All-Star Game, held on 29 December, but was unable to play due to the injury. He made his return on 11 February. On 3 April, Wembanyama recorded a season-high 25 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in an 85–65 win over Le Portel. He scored 18 points, his career high in the EuroLeague, in an 81–80 loss to Olimpia Milano on 7 April. On 3 June, Wembanyama was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a psoas muscle injury he sustained during a Pro A semifinal game against JDA Dijon. In his absence, ASVEL won its third consecutive Pro A championship. Wembanyama repeated as Pro A Best Young Player, averaging 9.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in the league. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in the EuroLeague and finished second to Rokas Jokubaitis in voting for the EuroLeague Rising Star award. After the season, he opted out of his contract with ASVEL, despite promises from club president Tony Parker to build the team around him for the next season.

Metropolitans 92 (2022–2023)

On 4 July 2022, Wembanyama signed a two-year contract with Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A. He was drawn to the team due to head coach Vincent Collet's reputation for developing and providing opportunities for young players. In October 2022, Wembanyama gained recognition from American media after two exhibition games against the NBA G League Ignite, featuring projected second overall pick Scoot Henderson, in Las Vegas. The games, which marked Wembanyama's U.S. debut, were nationally televised and attended by over 200 scouts and NBA executives. In the first game, on 4 October, he recorded 37 points, five blocks and four rebounds in a 122–115 loss. Wembanyama led his team to a 112–106 win over the Ignite in their second game, scoring 36 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. On 27 October, the NBA announced that it would stream all Metropolitans 92 regular-season and playoff games on its app.