NBA

San Antonio Spurs select Victor Wembanyama with No. 1 overall pick

The Spurs add to their legacy as they select French prodigy, Wenbanyama, as the third No. 1 overall pick in franchise history

PATRICK T. FALLONAFP

Tonight, the 77th NBA draft is taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where struggling teams seek to acquire transformative talent and successful franchises aim to uncover hidden gems.

The San Antonio Spurs already made their first selection, picking French sensation Victor Wembanyama as their top pick.

Related: NBA Draft live online: draft order, draft picks, highlights, selections and trades

Considered the most promising talent since LeBron James two decades ago, the 7-foot-4 French sensation has been highly anticipated by the Spurs since May 16, when it was announced they would secure the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft for the third time in franchise history.

Wembanyama became becomes not only the first-ever No. 1 pick from France, but also the first European player without NCAA college basketball experience to be selected first overall since Andrea Bargnani in 2006. He follows in the footsteps of a special group of skilled French players in the NBA, including Rudy Gobert, Killian Hayes, and the legendary Tony Parker, who won four NBA championships during his time with the Spurs.

The NBA draft is a blend of art and science, as teams sometimes make costly mistakes with early picks while finding hidden treasures in later rounds. A prime example is the Denver Nuggets, who found future two-time MVP Nikola Jokić as the 41st pick in 2014, ultimately guiding them to their first NBA championship. Similarly, despite Michael Jordan’s status as the greatest player in NBA history, his place in the league was not guaranteed when he was selected third overall in 1984.

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