Welcome to the Victor Wembanyama Expertise

We’ve seen all of the viral highlights from his abroad days, his Summer season League video games, his preseason performances. We’ve examine him, watched his interviews, consumed numerous social media posts about him. Now, lastly, it’s time to look at rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama play NBA basketball.

To have fun the second, we received San Antonio Spurs superfan Shea Serrano to elucidate what this second means: to him, to the Spurs fanbase, to the world. It’s time.

Victor Wembanyama covers SLAM 247. Get your copy here.

This cowl story will ultimately be about Victor Wembanyana, a 7-foot-4 exaggeration of a human and essentially the most thrilling and attractive new basketball prospect in 20 years. First, although, it’s going to be about Ralph.

Ralph is a safety guard on the constructing the place I workplace out of. He and I discuss, have been I to guess, for a mean of about 45 seconds every day, virtually all the time within the mornings after I first arrive at work and solely ever about sports activities.

The way in which our interactions sometimes go is: I arrive to the constructing round 8 a.m. I sort an entry code right into a keypad on the entrance door. I wait half a second to listen to a tiny clicking sound that lets me know that the door, massive and steel and in any other case impenetrable, is momentarily unlocked. I pull the door open. I stroll into the constructing. I look to my proper. And that’s the place I see Ralph, who’s stationed at a desk some twenty or so ft away. I say “Ralphieeeeeeeee,” and I all the time stretch the ultimate “E” out lengthy like that in hopes that it makes me seem extra charming and attention-grabbing than I really am. He says, “What’s up, Shea” again to me, however he says it in a traditional manner as a result of he doesn’t should fake to be charming and attention-grabbing as a result of he really is charming and attention-grabbing.

I stroll over to him, we contact fists, after which I touch upon one thing sports-related, to which he responds with one thing sports-related. Then there’s another conversational volley (both a follow-up to the primary sports activities factor, or the introduction of a brand new sports activities factor that’s barely much less vital than the primary), after which that’s it. I smile and snigger and he smiles and laughs after which I stroll away, each of us understanding we very seemingly is not going to see or discuss to the opposite particular person once more till the subsequent morning, at which level we’ll reenact the whole scene once more with solely barely totally different dialogue. We have now finished this every work day for practically three years now. It’s one of the best relationship I’ve ever had with somebody who carries handcuffs.

When the Spurs gained the NBA Draft Lottery this previous Could (and with it, the prospect to draft Victor Wembanyama later that summer time), I texted Ralph in celebration. We had by no means texted with one another earlier than that second (actually, I needed to textual content a separate particular person within the constructing to even get Ralph’s cellphone quantity) and even spoken with each other wherever on the planet aside from at his desk on a weekday morning. However I felt compelled to succeed in out to him that night.

I felt compelled to broaden the circumstances and parameters of our relationship, even when I didn’t notice that that’s what I used to be doing on the time.

Victor Wembanyama bends and reshapes every little thing.

Basketball issues, clearly.

However different issues, too, it appears.

***

It’s all the time been bizarre to look at a human who’s 7-foot-3 or taller dribble a basketball, nevertheless it’s by no means been bizarre the way in which Victor Wembanyama makes it bizarre. And what I imply is:

Image, say, for instance, Hasheem Thabeet (7-foot-3) dribbling the ball up the courtroom. Or image, say, for one more instance, Boban Marjanovic (7-foot-4) dribbling the ball up the courtroom. Or image, say, for a 3rd instance, Chuck Nevitt (7-foot-5) dribbling the ball up the courtroom. Or image, say, for a remaining instance, Tacko Fall (7-foot-6) dribbling the ball up the courtroom. These are all very bizarre situations and conditions and circumstances, each in abstraction and in observe. The arms, the legs, the elbows, the knees, the ball, the bouncing, the strolling—it’s simply all a bizarre mixture collectively. With regard to conventional basketball aesthetics, nothing is the place it’s presupposed to be, or transferring the way in which it’s supposed to maneuver. Any individual that tall bringing the ball up the courtroom is one thing that, in case you turned in your TV and occurred to see it throughout a sport, you’d say to your self some model of, “Okay. Effectively, clearly one thing has gone improper with this offensive possession. This couldn’t probably have been the primary choice.”

However that’s not what you say once you see Victor Wembanyama bringing the ball up the courtroom. What you say once you see Victor Wembanyama bringing the ball up the courtroom is a few model of, “Okay. Effectively. Fuck. We’re all lifeless.”

As a result of it’s clean, the way in which he dribbles.

And fluid.

And coordinated.

And delightful.

And devastating.

It’s like if God was taking a look at an image of a guard on somebody’s iPhone in heaven, touched the display together with his pinched-together index finger and thumb, expanded the picture to make it greater, after which was like, “Growth. There you go. That’s an individual now.”

Victor Wembanyama dribbles a basketball utterly usually.

That’s why it’s bizarre in a manner that it’s by no means been bizarre earlier than.

***

The San Antonio Spurs performed the Miami Warmth on October 13, 2023. It was the primary house sport of the preseason for the Spurs, and so I assume that was somewhat bit why it was vital, but in addition Victor Wembanyama was taking part in in it, and in order that’s primarily why it was vital.

And I want to inform you about one particular play from that night time.

So:

With somewhat underneath 40 seconds to go within the second quarter, Wembanyama dribbled the ball up the courtroom. There was no rush. And there was no urgency. There was only a very tall particular person dribbling a basketball calmly and confidently and usually, which, once more, was completely bizarre.

His defender, a 6-foot-10 League veteran named Thomas Bryant, waited for him in a defensive place a couple of ft past the three-point line.

As Wembanyama crossed the half courtroom line, Tre Jones (level guard for the Spurs) hustled over and angled to set a display on Bryant. Wembanyama, spying the motion, sped up barely as Jones approached, hoping to pressure Bryant into making some form of defensive mistake.

Bryant didn’t, although. He did what you’re presupposed to do when a smaller participant heads over to set a display on an even bigger participant out on the perimeter: you prepare for the smaller participant to slide the display on the final second in order to create a brand new second motion to probably exploit a abruptly out of place protection.

And that’s precisely what occurred.

Bryant’s instincts have been 100% right.

And it made 0 p.c of a distinction.

Jones slipped the display and slid over to the best bend space of the three-point line. Wemanyama handed him the ball. And Bryant sat again within the area ready for Jones to decide. And that’s when every little thing turned to muck for him, and for the Warmth, and (probably) (in all probability) for the NBA.

Earlier than Jones had even absolutely gathered the ball, Wembanyama, nonetheless out previous the three-point line, pointed to the sky. The gesture, whereas utterly ludicrous in its implication, was unimaginable to misread. Regardless of (a) nonetheless being 22 or so ft from the rim, and regardless of (b) having a defender to his fast left, and regardless of (c) Bryant nonetheless being instantly concerned within the play, and regardless of (d) the opposite three Miami Warmth defenders additionally being within the basic space, Wemanyama wished Jones to throw him an alley-oop.

Jones, abruptly an viewers member on stage with a magician through the reveal of a giant trick, determined he wished to see what would occur if he did what Wembanyama was asking him to do, and so he did what Wembanyama was asking him to do.

Proper because the ball touched his palms, Jones tossed it up into the air.

Victor dove into the paint, planted each footwear 9 ft earlier than the rim, jumped as 4 of the 5 Warmth defenders converged within the space, snatched the ball out of the ambiance with each palms, cocked it again, then thunderdunked it earlier than anybody else might even bounce.

The world, rightly, erupted.

The web, rightly, erupted.

Reggie Miller, who was one of many commentators calling the sport that night time, rightly, erupted.

“LOOK AT THIS!” he shouted, his voice fats with astonishment.

Or: “LOOK AT THIS!” he shouted, his voice fats with shock.

Or: “LOOK AT THIS!” he shouted, his voice fats with glee.

Or: “LOOK AT THIS!” he shouted, as a result of that’s the one factor you’ll be able to shout once you’re in the course of watching one thing as ridiculous as a 7-foot-4 Frenchman fly into the paint towards a very set protection, bounce from a number of ft outdoors of the restricted circle, after which dunk an alley-oop that he known as for from out previous the three-point line.

It was such a wild play.

And an unbelievable play.

And a preposterous play.

It was additionally, at greatest, solely the fourth most spectacular factor Victor Wembanyama would find yourself doing that night time.

***

The San Antonio Spurs performed the Golden State Warriors on October 20, 2023. It was the ultimate sport of the preseason for the Spurs, and so I assume that was somewhat bit why it was vital, but in addition Victor Wembanyama was taking part in in it, and in order that’s primarily why it was vital.

In the course of the sport, Victor Wembanyama: (1) caught a move out previous the three-point line, crossed over his defender off the dribble, pump faked a jumper, then pulled up for actual as his defender floated harmlessly previous him; (2) grabbed a defensive rebound, introduced the ball up courtroom, initiated the offense, then hit an and-one circus shot from behind the backboard whereas being pushed out of bounds (he additionally hit the accompanying free throw); (3) closed out from 10 ft away to dam a Klay Thompson three-pointer after which sprinted down courtroom to obtain and dunk the post-block outlet move (my favourite a part of this play is that he caught the move, hit the brakes, waited for a trailing Klay Thompson to zoom by, then waited an additional second so {that a} second defender might catch up and get dunked on); and (4) defended a smaller participant on the perimeter, pressured him into the paint, blocked his shot, ran down courtroom as a Jeremy Sochan gathered the errant ball, caught a move from Sochan, then pulled up for 3, splashing it in.

It was 4 nice performs that may look nice on anyone’s full-game spotlight reel.

Victor Wembanyama did them throughout only a 90-second stretch in the course of the primary quarter.

***

There is no such thing as a precedent for Victor Wembanyama.

There’s no single participant you’ll be able to attain backwards in time for and fasten him to, like how when LeBron James confirmed up and other people have been like, “He’s the subsequent Michael Jordan,” or how when Clarence Weatherspoon confirmed up and other people have been like, “He’s the subsequent Charles Barkley,” or how when any white participant exhibits up and individuals are like, “He’s like that different white participant.”

There is no such thing as a precedent for Victor Wembanyama.

There are solely amalgamations.

“He’s like in case you blended Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Durant.”

“He’s like in case you blended Kareem Abdul Jabbar with Tracy McGrady.”

“He’s like in case you blended a fighter jet and a jaguar.”

That’s the form of shit it’s important to say once you discuss him.

I do not know how Victor Wembanyama’s profession goes to play out.

I believe there will likely be championship rings and MVP trophies and numerous different accolades.

However that’s only a guess.

What I do know, although, is that proper now, proper at this specific second, it form of doesn’t matter.

What issues is what he’s already given us, which is to say:

Pleasure.

And pleasure.

Pleasure for now and pleasure for the long run.

Pleasure in imagining what is perhaps; what he would possibly do; what he would possibly imply for basketball; what he would possibly imply for every little thing.

Victor Wembanyama is right here.