Wembanyama was “enthralled by the chance of playing with Doncic’s Mavs”

The NBA held its breath during the draft lottery. Nothing too unusual about that, but this year, the expectation was especially high to see where Victor Wembanyama would end up. The French center who many are already citing as basketball’s next superstar, a player who could change the game, mark an era - and, of course, to transform the franchise he joins from top to bottom. All was revealed in Tuesday’s draw, Wembanyama is headed for the San Antonio Spurs.

The 19-year-old recently received the MVP, the Best Defender and Best Young Player awards from the LNB, the French League, in which has led in points, rebounds, blocks and efficiency: averaging 21.6, 10.4, 3 and 26. Outrageous figures for a teenage who only turned 19 in January and who will now face the playoffs with Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, runners-up in the regular phase - right between the two French Euroleague teams, Monaco and his ex-club, ASVEL. On 22 June, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, his choice as the number 1 pick will be confirmed by the Spurs.

“My heart’s racing,” was Wembanyama’s reaction on hearing the news. “I’ve got everyone I know, everyone I love around me. It’s a really special moment I’m going to remember the rest of my life”.

From his headquarters in Paris, Wembanyama gestured that he was a little relieved that the 1 was not for teams like the Houston Rockets, and of course showed sincere happiness to be ending up with the Spurs - a serious, respected team, and more so with Gregg Popovich at the helm. It’s an ideal destination. And a franchise that has always been very considerate to non-American players, including Frenchmen like Boris Diaw and, above all, Tony Parker. So all in all, it turned out to be a very satisfactory night for the Le Chesnay-born center. However, according to Brian Windhorst, ESPN’s special envoy to Paris, there was another Texas-based team that he would have been delighted to join - the Dallas Mavericks. Naturally, that would have allowed him to play with Luka Doncic.

The Mavs started from position 10 and stayed in position 10. There was no lottery jackpot (the statistical possibilities of that were very few) but the benefit of staying there and not losing a pick that otherwise could have gone to the New York Knicks (due to Kristaps Porzingis undergoing surgery). New York now own Dallas’ 2024 first-round pick if it falls outside of the top 10... with the same condition, top 10 protection.

“Would Dallas move up? Windhorst asked, “Victor definitely reacted when Dallas came up because obviously, he knew that playing with Luka Doncic would be fascinating. That was a discussion that I had with his agents was what happens if Dallas wins”. The Mavs only had a 3% chance of reaching No. 1 in the lottery. And 65.9% of staying at 10, as it finally happened. The Texans are one of three teams that have never moved up the ranking in the lottery. The other two are the Miami Heat and the Denver Nuggets. Now, Wembanyama will become a rival to some Mavs in the latest chapter of the rivalry between the two Texan outfits.

Wembanyama’s premonition

In the hours after NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum revealed the top four picks, the Spurs were overwhelmed with 3,000 subscription requests coming in between 7:30 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. There is a real joyous feeling in the city - and happiness for the promising youngster who will have all eyes on him from next season, as he himself admitted: “There’s a special relation between France and the Spurs because of Tony (Parker) of course and also Boris (Diaw)... I think half the country, or more, wanted me to be number 1 in the draft for them. I know half of the country, maybe if not the whole country wanted the Spurs to have the first pick so I was looking at everyone and everyone was happy so I was too. Not to brag about it, but I knew what was going to happen and I actually recorded myself saying it this morning walking to practice. So yeah, the universe told me. Dreams, feelings, it happens sometimes, but it’s never wrong, it’s always right”.