Victor Wembanyama might be the most hyped NBA prospect since LeBron James.
As such, he’s been the projected top pick of the 2023 NBA draft for quite some time. With the June draft finally within sight, betting odds are now available across different sportsbooks.
Before we get into those odds, I should mention that they may have been available sooner than today. With it a forgone conclusion that Wembanyama is the pick, I wasn’t exactly checking for them. But something made me click on the odds today, and what I saw was absolutely hilarious.
Wembanyama’s odds to go No. 1 at both DraftKings and FanDuel are -8000.
-8000!
A $100 bet at those odds would win you exactly $1.25. Enjoy your honey bun.
The next closest player is Scoot Henderson at +2500. Every other player at FanDuel has 200-1 odds.
No. 1 overall pick odds (FanDuel)
- Victor Wembanyama -8000
- Scott Henderson +2500
- Rest of the field +20000
Wager on The Big Game with FanDuel
Of course, none of this is surprising given what we know about Wembanyama and how the league views his potential. But it’s still funny to see a list full of players with +20000 and one guy at -8000.
By comparison, Paolo Banchero had -210 odds as the favorite on the day before last year’s draft. It wasn’t until Adrian Wojnarowski (incorrectly) reported hours before the draft that the Orlando Magic were leaning towards taking Jabari Smith Jr. that the favorite was dropped to -10000.
Four months out from this year’s draft, Wembanyama is already in that range. That’s how sure everyone is about him.
It makes you wonder why odds are even being offered. Barring something catastrophic, this isn’t a market worth exploring. The real question is which team ends up landing the privlege to draft Wembanyama with the top pick.
As of Tuesday morning, the San Antonio Spurs, Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets have the best odds at +550. The Charlotte Hornets (+600) and Magic (+900) are next.
