Victor Wembanyama, who stands 7 feet 4 inches tall and moves more smoothly than most guards, is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. As a result, he has earned the nickname ‘The Alien’ among NBA fans. And, as he recently revealed, not only did LeBron James come up with it, but it was also extremely inappropriate. Wembanyama recently interviewed HugoDecrypte about his enigmatic nickname. He revealed that, while many people believe James’s decision to declare Wembanyama an extraterrestrial during a 2022 interview was premeditated, there was no such plan.
“It’s when [2022] it was really popularized. It’s thanks to him [LeBron James]. And we, hadn’t discussed it beforehand… But in any case, I was pleased because it is hard to get rid of a nickname once we have it.”
During the same interview, Victor Wembanyama expressed his fondness for the term. To him, the word denotes ‘new’ and ‘unknown’, which the player undoubtedly is in the NBA. Of course, others dubbed him a ‘Unicorn’, a term widely used to describe tall players who could accomplish everything a guard could. Unfortunately, because it is now seen almost everywhere, it has lost its original appeal. Wemby stated right after being draughted that he didn’t want the name, saying,
“That nickname [unicorn] has been used over and over, so I’m not really a big fan of it.”
Victor’s reaction to being labelled a Unicorn is perfectly reasonable. After all, a moniker should be unique, rather than one that relates to nearly half of the NBA. In that regard, Alien seemed to fit him far better. Without further ado, it appears that Nike has adopted this term. Nike has made Victor Wembanyama’s brand ‘The Alien’ Nike must have been thrilled when LeBron referred to Wemby as an extraterrestrial. After all, the face of their brand basically handed them the marketing plan for the NBA’s next big thing.
Fortunately for them, they were able to obtain Wemby’s signature and begin their marketing immediately. The brand even added an alien emblem to his GT Hustle trainers, which he wore throughout games. And now that the moment has arrived to release his trademark sneaker, they appear to have gone all in. Nike released an advertisement to promote Wembanyama’s previous achievements in the NBA. Suffice it to say, it did an excellent job of maintaining the Spurs rookie’s brand. With the amount of excitement this advertisement has generated, Wemby’s signature trainers are sure to be a huge hit. The player only needs to continue his amazing performances to keep the hype train rolling.