The San Antonio Spurs won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery, which means they will have the option to select highly-touted prospect Victor Wembanyama.
Wembanyama wasn’t able to attend the event because his team is still playing overseas. But during the lottery event in Chicago on Tuesday night, there was a camera crew in France that followed Wembanyama and filmed his reactions as each team learned where they would select in the 2023 NBA Draft.
You can watch Wembanyama as he finds out that the Rockets would select at No. 4 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. He pumps his fist and sure seems very happy about their placement:
Watch Victor
— Andrew Schlecht (@AndrewKSchlecht) May 17, 2023
This could have happened for any number of reasons, of course.
There were recent reports that some folks in league circles didn’t want Wembanyama to land in Houston, and there were several concerning stories that surrounded the culture in Houston this past season.
While the big man never publicly stated he didn’t want to play in Houston, Rockets rookie Jabari Smith tweeted a one-emoji response to the video of Wembanyama’s reaction:
— Jabari Smith Jr (@jabarismithjr) May 17, 2023
Wembanyama, who had several ties to San Antonio even before the lottery, seemed thrilled that the Spurs won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery.
San Antonio fans were expectedly elated about the news as well.
But in the process, Wembanyama may have accidentally created a new rivalry with Houston and Smith.
