Victor Wembanyama is 20 and the world is at his feet !

NBA – Victor Wembanyama celebrates his birthday on 4 January. Here’s a look back at an incredible 2023 for the world’s new basketball phenomenon.

On 4 January 2024, Victor Wembanyama celebrates his 20th birthday, and the Spurs pivot has been living a daydream for the past fortnight. Announced as the next world basketball phenomenon after just two friendly matches in Las Vegas, ‘Wemby’ has confirmed his alien status week after week, in Betclic Elite and in the NBA.

Indeed, before being drafted and joining the NBA, the young inside player had made his mark in the French league. The top scorer (21.6), rebounder (10.4) and counter-attacker (3.0) in the Betclic Elite in 2022/23, ‘Wemby’ helped Boulogne-Levallois reach the championship final. On an individual level, Victor Wembanyama picked up every award possible: best player, best defender, best young player and member of the best five of the season! Never before seen in the NBL.

What’s next? A top spot in the 2023 draft to follow in Tony Parker’s footsteps in San Antonio. His jersey was snapped up, his highlights reached a billion views, the audience exploded and he lived up to expectations among the best players in the world. After two months of competition, he is averaging 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals. In these four categories, he is the best rookie of the season, and is even the best counter-attacker in the entire NBA. This is the first time a rookie has been ranked since Manute Bol in 1986!

What’s next? The 2024 Olympic Games !

However, ‘Wemby’ has yet to win an individual trophy in the NBA. Chet Holmgren was preferred to him for the award of best rookie of November. Why was this? Because the Spurs are losing one game after another, to the point of winning just five this season! In the short term, things are unlikely to improve for San Antonio, and Victor Wembanyama has fallen behind not only in the race for the All-Star Game, but also the Rookie Of The Year award.

Given the Spurs’ record, he won’t be enjoying his first play-offs… There won’t be a runaway success like in the NBL, but LeBron James and Kevin Durant also missed out on the play-offs in their first season.

However, the best is yet to come this summer, with a place at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where his presence alone could overshadow Team USA and revive a moribund French team.