There were no surprises when Victor Wembanyama was selected with the number one overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The San Antonio Spurs picked Wembanyama as the star centre joins their roster ahead of the 2023/24 season. The 19-year-old is widely regarded as one of the brightest prospects in the NBA draft for many years.
Brandon Miller was drafted at number two by the Charlotte Hornets, before the Portland Trail Blazers selected Scoot Henderson. The Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar, were drafted at No. 4 and No.5 by the Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons, respectively.
The build-up to the 2023/24 season will see a great deal of hype around the draft class of 2023, particularly number one pick Wembanyama. And according to a report, the teenager is already putting the work in ahead of his move to Texas.
Spurs president and head coach Gregg Popovich revealed after the draft that Wembanyama is already looking to speak with franchise legends Tim Duncan and David Robinson. Both Duncan and Robinson were number one picks for the Spurs and are regarded as two of the greatest players in the history of the franchise.
“Victor has already expressed interest in spending time with Timmy, with David (Robinson), that sort of thing," Popovich said. It is a signal of Wembanyama's nature that he is just as desperate to soak up knowledge and learn as ever despite his status as a can't miss draft prospect.
Popovich went on to speak to ESPN about Wembanyama, and praised the 19-year-old’s maturity at such a relatively young age. "He's got a great disposition, a good combination of intellectual ability and an emotional intelligence at the same time," Popovich said.
"He understands what hype is. He understands all the attention he's getting, but he still welcomes it, deals with it.
“So I think he understands that there's a way to handle that responsibility and still let people feel somewhat close to him. So he doesn't need a lot of advice in that area."
Even though talk of Wembanyama being the expected number one pick has been doing the rounds for the last few months, he could not help but feel the nerves when the Spurs were on the clock. The Spurs used almost every second of their five minutes, and Wembanyama has opened up on how it felt to have his name read out by NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
"I can't really describe it," said Wembanyama. "One of the best feelings of my life. Probably the best night of my life. I've been dreaming about this for so long. It's a dream come true. It's incredible."
"This is when I started getting the butterflies, and it's where I started seeing my family get silent," Wembanyama added. "Everyone watching their watch.
“Then I got called, and I went to the back. I was congratulated by a lot of people there. I saw Adam Silver, shook his hand again, gave him a hug."
