Before Thursday’s NBA Draft, Victor Wembanyama arrived at Newark Airport in New Jersey to a circus-like atmosphere.
The 7-foot-4 prodigy is expected to be selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs during the draft at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn.
In an exclusive video obtained by Mail Sport, Wembanyama expressed his excitement at being in New York.
‘I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,’ the French sensation told Adam Glyn.
The young Frenchman is the largest NBA Draft prize in over a decade. LeBron James called Wembanyama a ‘generational talent’ for his athleticism, skill, and size at the age of 19.
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After arriving from his native France, the 7-foot-4 hooper was mobbed by autograph hunters
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The San Antonio Spurs are near certain to take the most prized player since LeBron James
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At 7-foot-4, with the ball-handling and shooting skills of a guard, Victor Wembanyama is considered a generational talent and the biggest NBA Draft Lottery prize in a generation
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The Frenchman alongside 6-foot-2 Scoot Henderson (right), the likely No. 2 overall draft pick
Wembanyama will be draughted precisely two decades after James was selected by his local team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, in 2003. He has earned plaudits from all over the world in recent months, maybe none more so than from James’ former colleague, Richard Jefferson.
During an October episode of NBA Today, Jefferson, a former teammate of James, stated that if LeBron James appeared at that very moment, Victor would surpass him.
‘LeBron James, and everything we witnessed — and I’m not saying he’ll be better than LeBron James — but right now, I remember LeBron James from 20 years ago.
‘That player was six-foot-seven; this individual is seven-[foot]-four. If he were the same age and entered the same draft, LeBron James would be ranked second. That’s how ridiculous this guy is as a possibility.”
Despite previous reports, the 19-year-old French sensation will now participate in the NBA’s Summer League in July.
Wembanyama’s Metropolitans 92 team lost a best-of-five series to Monaco in the LNB Pro A title.
Despite the hoopla surrounding Wembanyama and the struggling Spurs, Charles Barkley suggests their improvement may be slower than anticipated.
‘The Spurs ain’t close to winning a championship, young fella!’ said the former 76ers, Suns and Rockets forward. Y’all probably ain’t gonna make the playoffs next year!’