Sometimes I wonder what a true alien encounter might be like. What would the global reaction be if an extraterrestrial being exposed itself to the rest of us humans? How long would this encounter be the top story in every news outlet around the world? How would people throughout the world react to this? Will it be everything we’ve imagined throughout the years?While it’s impossible to address all hypothetical questions, I can speculate on what it was like to witness the NBA debut of San Antonio Spurs centre Victor Wembanyama.

Long before Victor Wembanyama made his NBA debut with the Spurs, he was regarded like an alien. Some questioned how he would do in the world’s top professional basketball league, but everyone was enamoured. And every step of the way, Wembanyama managed to outperform the hype, and there has been enough. LeBron James has called him “an alien” on many occasions, and neither Wembanyama nor Nike have denied the extraterrestrial vibes.

Nike’s advertisement for Wembanyama during the 2024 solar eclipse is well-known. Now, with the Olympics starting on Friday in Wemby’s home nation of France, the company has shown a prototype for their next trademark sneaker. To suggest they resemble something from outer space would be an understatement.

Could Victor Wembanyama be the biggest star at the Summer Olympics?

If we interpret this question literally, there is no way around it. The San Antonio Spurs prodigy, who wears a size 20.5 footwear and stands at 7’5″, will be the biggest star. But that’s not what we’re going for here. What we should be thinking about is whether Victor Wembanyama will emerge from the Summer Olympics in Paris as one of the most well-known individuals in sports.

Much of this will rely on how long the French National Team can remain in the men’s basketball tournament. Assuming they can repeat their success from the 2020 Summer Olympics, where they won the Silver Medal for the third time, Wembanyama will have two weeks to catch the imagination of viewers. What if Victor Wembanyama leads a Gold Medal-winning run, including a victory over the US?

Previously, the idea of the United States men’s basketball team losing at the Olympics was thought as likely as a real alien appearance. However, we’ve watched the rest of the globe catch up to Team USA, and we’ve also seen an alien on the hardwood. So who the hell knows what will happen in Paris?