He was charming. He was humble.
He was confident without coming off as cocky.
He was thoughtful, he was insightful and he was funny.
Victor Wembanyama met the media Wednesday morning and wowed everyone with his outgoing personality.
If the pressure is getting to the 7-foot-4 unicorn of a prospect, he did a fantastic job of hiding it.
The French big man with guard skills whom experts have been raving about for years (calling him the best prospect since LeBron James), seemed ready for his moment Thursday night in the NBA draft at Barclays Center and the immense pressure that will follow.
He’s not concerned with the outside hype, that greatness is expected of him, or that anything short of a Hall of Fame career would be deemed a disappointment.
“I don’t let this, all this stuff, get into my head because I got such high expectations for myself that I’m immune to all this stuff,” he said. “So I really don’t care.”
This has been the plan all along, since it became clear he was different, that he could do such unique things on a basketball court for someone his size.
His life will be forever changed when the Spurs select him first overall 26 years after they lucked out in landing Tim Duncan.
Wembanyama said he feels prepared for what’s in store.
“Ever since I knew about the draft, exactly how it worked, I wanted to be first,” he said. “I think I started to realize I could be a professional basketball player at the age of 12. Tomorrow, something is going to happen, something I’ve been thinking about for years and years. I can’t really describe how I feel right now. I just know I’m going to have trouble sleeping tonight. I’ve been really, really lucky to live this life. I’m just so lucky.”
He doesn’t seem to mind the attention that others have shied away from.
On Tuesday, Wembanyama hopped on the subway to head to The Bronx and throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Yankees game.
He has yet to see the sights of New York City, but did plan to walk around midtown at some point before the draft, even if that meant getting mobbed by New Yorkers.
He said he doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to see the big city.
“I’m trying to be the best, so being the best, it’s not only on the court,” he said. “There’s [other] dimensions of an individual basketball player, an NBA player, and I want to be the best also at the media, the press conference, all that stuff. I don’t like to do things halfway. I’m trying to enjoy it.”
This isn’t an act.
Arnaud Valadon, a French sports reporter who made the trip across the Atlantic Ocean for the draft, said the 19-year-old Wembanyama has been mature beyond his age for years.
Back home, excitement started to pick up in the fall, after Wembanyama played with his team, Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92, in a showcase event in Las Vegas.
His jersey began selling at an exponential rate.
His team’s games had to be moved to bigger arenas.
Everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of him before he was drafted into the NBA.
“In my mind, Victor can be on the same level as Kylian Mbappé,” Valadon said, referring to the French soccer superstar.
It has been a dizzying year for Wembanyama, who recently led Metropolitans 92 to the LNB Pro A Finals.
It would be understandable if he wanted to rest, but that’s not in his plans, either.
He fully plans to play in the NBA Summer League in July.
Since his season ended, he has missed just one day of weight lifting — the day of his flight to New York.
In August, he’s set to represent France in the FIBA World Cup,
“I’m in shape,” he said. “I’m not too tired.”
Victor Wembanyama sounds ready for the challenge that awaits him.
The overwhelming hype does not appear to be too much for what experts believe is a generational talent.
Soon, he will get to prove it.
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