Victor Wembanyama cherishes conversations with active NBA legends: ‘When I’m told something, I don’t forget it’
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Victor Wembanyama cherishes conversations with active NBA legends: ‘When I’m told something, I don’t forget it’
Victor Wembanyama, 21, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft. The San Antonio Spurs center led the NBA this season with 3.8 blocks per game. He’s coming off his first All-Star appearance and is expected to be back for the start of the 2025-26 season. He shared the stage with LeBron James, Tom Brady and Kevin Durant at Fanatics Fest in New York on Saturday. The Spurs expect to have him back in time for the 2019-20 season, when he’ll be a third-year player. The French native was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013-14, his first season in the league. He was the first player to record 35-point, 15-rebound performances in an NBA game since 2019.
“I have a note on my phone with questions to ask the guys, KD [Kevin Durant], ‘Bron [LeBron James],” Wembanyama said on stage at Fanatics Fest in New York on Saturday. “I had the chance to talk to [Nikola] Jokić for 45 minutes at All-Star [weekend]. And I’m taking notes.”
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Wembanyama added: “When I’m told something, I don’t forget it. It’s super precious, for sure.”
Wembanyama, a French native and soon-to-be third-year NBA player, shared the stage Saturday with James, as well as with seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, in a live version of James’ talk show, “The Shop: Uninterrupted.”
The respect Wembanyama has for the future Hall of Famers he mentioned is certainly reciprocated.
When James was asked Saturday how much longer he would play before retiring, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar joked that the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama — who led the NBA this season with 3.8 blocks per game — might send him into retirement.
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“I can’t play that much further,” James said. “And the more and more time that I play, as long as he keeps smacking my f***ing shots into the stands, he’s gonna make me retire.”
Wembanyama responded in jest that James, 40, might retire after him.
Earlier this season, Jokić heaped praise on Wembanyama.
“I think he’s better this year than last year, and I think he’s going to get even better,” Jokić said of Wembanyama on Jan. 4, after Wembanyama’s Spurs defeated Jokić’s Denver Nuggets.
“I think he’s a special player. I think he’s one of a kind and is going to be remembered forever.”
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That night marked the first dueling 35-point, 15-rebound performances in an NBA game since 2019. Wembanyama notched 35 points and 18 rebounds, plus a game-sealing steal off a pass from Jokić. Meanwhile, the three-time MVP recorded 41 points, 18 rebounds and 9 assists.
When San Antonio announced Feb. 20 that Wembanyama would miss the rest of the season with a blood clot in his right shoulder, Durant imparted impactful words just hours later, following a Spurs win over his Phoenix Suns.
“I’m glad they caught this early,” Durant said at the time. “That can affect your overall health. … I’m glad they was able to catch that early. You’ve seen a few guys that had this and come back and play and finish their careers out. I’m thinking about Vic. I’m sure the whole basketball world is thinking about him right now. Somebody like that who has a strong mind, strong will to go out there and recover and get better, he’s gonna put his best foot forward every day. I don’t even know Vic well enough, but I can just tell that that’s what he’s about. … I’m looking forward to seeing him back out there.”
The Spurs expect to have Wembanyama back for the start of the 2025-26 season. He’s coming off his first All-Star appearance.
Wembanyama was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft and became NBA Rookie of the Year that season.