For the past year or so, Victor Wembanyama sat in anticipation regarding his future NBA destination. Surely the team that wins the lottery will end up being the French sensation's home for years to come. And on Tuesday night, Wembanyama finally had more clarity regarding the matter, as, barring an unforeseen turn of events, he will be heading to the San Antonio Spurs as the first overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft in June.
Given the infrastructure of the Spurs organization, as evidenced by a 22-season stretch from 1998 to 2019 where they never failed to make the postseason, Wembanyama will be in good hands. This is especially the case, as head coach Gregg Popovich has considerable experience in bringing out the best in generationally talented big men such as David Robinson and Tim Duncan.
Thus, it's no surprise to see Victor Wembanyama and his camp become awash with emotions when it became official that the Spurs had, indeed, won the lottery 26 years after last doing so.
“I'm watching Victor watch [the draft lottery] and he was just kind of in disbelief,” Brian Windhorst, who flew all the way to France to cover Wembanyama's reaction, recounted on ESPN's Get Up. “I have to tell you, as the Spurs won, he became emotional. You saw him celebrate but he wiped a tear away a little bit. His mom was right next to him. There was a lot of different pluses and minuses with all these teams, but they knew San Antonio would be a terrific spot for him.”
.@WindhorstESPN told us what it was like for Victor Wembanyama to hear the Spurs won the Draft Lottery:
"He became emotional … He wiped a tear away a little bit. His mom was right next to him. … They knew San Antonio would be a terrific spot for him." pic.twitter.com/wSrmZxs9yb
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) May 17, 2023
Beyond landing under the tutelage of Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, it helps that throughout the Spurs' heyday, famous French players such as Tony Parker and Boris Diaw, played a prominent role in their runs to the championship.
“That is the most popular team here in France because of Tony Parker. And it was an incredible moment. I don't know if the Spurs will be drafting another Hall of Famer, but it was amazing at 2:30 in the morning in Paris,” Windhorst added.
Spurs fans surely cannot contain their excitement as they await the first time they witness Victor Wembanyama don the Spurs' silver and black.
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