Victor Wembanyama makes NBA Summer League debut: Not-to-be-missed event with an unforgettable start
LAS VEGAS – The crowd of nearly 19,000 sold out at the Thomas & Mack Center stood in anticipation of the by Victor Wembanyama debut with San Antonio Spurs on Friday at NBA Summer tournament against Charlotte’s Horn.
When he appeared in court, they shouted, finally catching a glimpse of the 19-year-old who is receiving more hype than anyone since. LeBron James entered the tournament in 2003.
Tickets sold out earlier this week. This is the second time in NBA Summer League history that tickets have been sold out before the match day, after by Zion Williamson launched with New Orleans in 2019. And this is only the fifth sold-out ever.
Six-time NBA champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was in attendance, as was Jerry West (who has an NBA-like icon) and rapper J. Cole.
But after all the construction, the show was turned upside down.
Wembanyama’s nerves and rust show. The No. 1 overall pick in the draft had 9 points from shooting 2-13 from the field, including a 1-to-6 shot from outside the arc in Spurs’ 76-68 win, a game in which he was lost. defeated by 2nd overall pick Brandon Miller (16 points, 11 rebounds).
Wembanyama had 8 rebounds and 5 saves. But he ended the draw with the fourth-highest plus or minus points in Spurs, after Julian Champagne (ten), Blake Wesley (nine) and Erik Stevenson (six), two of whom have not yet been built.
It was not the performance he wanted.
“To be honest, I really don’t know what I did on the field tonight,” said Wembanyama, who did not play in Spurs’ Summer League games in Sacramento this week after last month’s draft. .
Wembanyama has pinpointed his fitness as an issue, saying it’s something he needs to improve on before the season begins.
“Even though I only played 40 minutes tonight, when I was substituted, I was always tired and exhausted,” he said. “So I think there are a lot of conditions to do.”
However, Wembanyama’s potential still shines thanks to his strong side.
The game sometimes seems easy for him. He won the opening trick with ridiculous ease. He showed off some fancy dribbling in the first half that wowed the crowd.
When Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sticks his claws into Wembanyama, we see a calmer player. He needs to get back into basketball form and feel confident in a Spurs shirt.
Eventually, the deep hype becomes white noise. On Friday, however, it was a rush.
A few days before the launch, a strange incident went viral on social media. Britney Spears congratulates Wembanyama after his success at the ARIA hotel and casino, a gesture that changed after she touched him, was stopped by Spurs security and went on to report it to the police.
That film is this week’s first indication of the microscope he’s currently monitoring. And if he didn’t really understand it at the time, Friday’s circus will definitely open his eyes
Fans in Wembanyama’s jerseys were talking about the stadium hours before the game, coming from all over.
Dallin Biorn, a 27-year-old Spurs fan, drove 11-12 hours from Colorado to Las Vegas to watch Wembanyama play. He said he bought three tickets for $45 as soon as they went live, and resold one of them for almost five times as much on Thursday ($215) to fund the trip. Go.
Biorn said of Spurs, which have won five league titles before missing out on the knockout stages of the past four seasons: “I feel this is the next emergence of hope for the rebirth of the reigning king. we. “So I wanted to see him the first time he played. It was a big deal.”
Michael Escobedo, 45, flew from Indiana to Las Vegas to catch a glimpse of the Spurs star. If Wembanyama stays healthy, he believes he can become the next face of the tournament.
“I don’t even know if he plays or not, but I still have [tickets]”Escobedo said.
At 7 feet-4 with a wingspan of 8 feet, Wembanyama is considered an unprecedented talent. He can dribble and shoot with the skill of someone a foot shorter than him. He can also post and retouch, taking advantage of his incredibly unique framing.
An NBA source believes that the mystique surrounding Wembanyama may even surpass James’ 20 years ago. After all, many people have only heard of Wembanyama’s talent or seen clips of him online, which has made him a legend.
“We know about LeBron,” the source told FOX Sports. “We watched LeBron play in high school. I watched LeBron play. But Wemby didn’t. [in France]. It’s 2023 and it’s clear that we have more access to everything thanks to social media. But we don’t know him. I bet when you watch that game tonight, if you poll the crowd and ask them how many of you have actually watched him play a game, there’s going to be a lot of few people.”
So, in a sense, Friday could be seen as Wembanyama’s first real NBA test, aside from a pairing against G League’s Ignite last October.
Wembanyama was clearly disappointed on Friday night. The usually bubbly interviewee has been relatively truncated and his body language has changed.
But he is expected to play again Sunday against Portland, giving him at least another chance to dazzle the crowds in Las Vegas before he eventually has to miss out to avoid injury. . (Trail Blazers’ third overall pick) Scoot Henderson suffered a shoulder injury on Friday and not sure if he will come on Sunday.)
Back in France, Wembanyama made a name for himself. Last season, he averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3 blocks per game for the Metropolitans 92. He was named MVP of the French LNB Pro A league, being the youngest player to receive it. that honor.
While Wembanyama is certainly a remarkable talent, it remains to be seen whether he will become the player he wants to be in the NBA.
An NBA source said: “On the All-Star break, people will have a better feeling: Does he have all of that or not. “I think he could. I just don’t know for how long. The ‘for how long’ part scares me. He has a lot of work to do with his body. He really does. Because all the hype, people will go after him every night. So we’ll see if he can keep that up.”
For Wembanyama, Friday is just the beginning, a day he certainly wants to forget.
He was dipped by Kai Jones. He was windy. His performance was awesome.
But Spurs believe it was a mistake for a new-generation talent who only trained lightly with the team before being pushed under the spotlight.
Spurs summer coach Matt Nielsen said: “I think about it all, he’s done really well. “Obviously there’s a lot of attention going to him. You can talk about external things, but physical and that’s something they obviously want to line up, as you would, and overall, me. I think he performed quite well.”
All eyes will be on him this season, be it the ultimate blessing or curse for a teenager with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
On the night of his enlistment, Wembanyama cried because his lifelong dream had finally come true.
And despite everything, he’s definitely going to take some time during his debut to find out what’s going on.
“Special, really special moment when wearing that shirt for the first time,” he said. “It’s really an honor.”
Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the tournament for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.
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