Teenage French prodigy Victor Wembanyama captivates Paris audience.
OKBET BALL SPORTS : Within the first 54 seconds of Friday night’s game, Victor Wembanyama scored his team’s first points. Later, he pumped his arms after assisting on his team’s last score with a pass that went almost the length of the court.
In France, the 18-year-old prodigy widely predicted to become an NBA great has caused a craze known as “Wembamania,” with everyone eager to get a glimpse of the rising star.
Even Lionel Jospin, a former prime minister who is now 85 years old and who phoned the club president to request a ticket. The Socialist Party lawmaker was there as Wembanyama led the Paris Metropolitans 92 to a 113-88 victory against Blois with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He shot 2 for 3 from deep and added 7 boards and 5 blocks to his stat line.
Late in the game, the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama nailed a long 3 that received the loudest ovation of the night following his smooth alley-oop and dunk. About four thousand people paid to see those few minutes of seemingly smooth but brutal play.
The coach of the Metropolitans, Vincent Collet, has said that the attention is healthy for French soccer.
He explained the outcome of the game by saying, “It’s something you can’t really control and it’s due of what occurred two weeks ago in the US.” I think it’s great for basketball, our team, and the league as a whole. It brings attention to basketball and draws fans.
Even though Wembanyama is still young, Collet believes he has the mental toughness to succeed in the NBA.
“There are’skills,’ which is what the Americans mean when they talk about a certain talent or aptitude. However, he is just 18 and a half years old. Collet remarked after the game, “There are a lot of things to deal with when you play basketball at the top level.” However, he has an extraordinary intellect and aptitude for studying. He picks up information rapidly, therefore there’s no use in repeating lessons. That, coupled with everything else he has going for him, is a huge plus. Since it is so uncommon, it is also quite precious.
Wembanyama even provided some impromptu tutoring on the floor, touching a teammate on the head to signal “think.” He tapped the soles of his humongous shoes twice before the game began.
Near the conclusion of the first quarter, Wembanyama got a tremendous ovation as he ran like an Olympian to get back and block a shot, drawing comparisons between his angular running style and the pistons in a car engine.
No one has ever seen anybody as tall as he is but as fluid,” NBA legend LeBron James said of Wembanyama’s agility.
On Friday, Wembanyama let his irritation to show when he lowered his head after missing a block. After a Blois player seemed to trip him, he looked frustrated and raised his hands as if to shout, “Oh, come on!” to the referees.
In the first half, he blocked five shots yet scored just five points (without even attempting a 3-pointer). Forty seconds into the third quarter, he made a three-pointer, and then he sprang into the air to collect a pass and threw the ball off-balance back to captain Lahaou Konaté, gripping his fist as Konaté’s shot went in.
When another teammate sank a long 3-pointer in the third quarter, he leaped up and smacked a towel in delight before turning to entertainment once again.
Victor is a fantastic person; he is constantly cheering people on. Teammate Hugo Besson said, “Even when he wasn’t at his best tonight, he was pushing everyone else, and he still finished up with 17 points.” “It’s awesome to play with him since he has great game sense. He’s mature enough, in my opinion, to make it in the OKBET NBA.
Now that everyone is watching the club, everyone has to step up their game.
To paraphrase, “I believe you need to handle it extremely nicely. Besson acknowledged that the high levels of anticipation around the club might generate stress for certain players. However, I find this to be encouraging since it suggests that our standards are set rather high.
When compared to the crowds that will be waiting for Wembanyama in the NBA, this one was rather tiny. Huge shouts erupted throughout the little stadium as his name was announced as one of the starting five.
He is projected to be the first top-five selection from France in the 2023 NBA draft and is widely expected to be the consensus #1 choice.
He’ll be 19 and a half years old, making him virtually the same age as France’s 2018 World Cup hero Kylian Mbappe. Wembanyama grew born in the same Paris area as judo legend Teddy Riner, and he may follow in his footsteps as France’s next Olympic hero in 2024.
After two unbelievable performances in exhibition games in Las Vegas, Wembanyama has been the subject of a national news broadcast on France 2.
“It’s OK, no big deal. The name Mbappe is always being brought up at PSG,” Collet stated. We couldn’t have had as much fun in Vegas if Victor hadn’t been a part of the crew. You can’t find fault where there is none; he is a reliable colleague.
French prodigy Victor Wembanyama captivates Paris audience
Tickets for Friday’s game were made available 10 days in advance and sold out in two hours, according to Metropolitans president Alain Weisz, who inaugurated four-time NBA champion Tony Parker’s international career with France. Wembanyama’s first game back in action was last Saturday at Le Mans, and for the first time in the club’s history, all 6,000 tickets were sold.
Weisz said on France Info radio, “What the boy is doing is unheard of.” A lot of people in this city, not just kids and rappers, look up to Victor. Not only did Lionel Jospin try to get in touch with me, but so did the prime minister of France. As a result of events in the United States, there is unprecedented curiosity.
France’s prime minister under Jospin’s leadership lasted from 1997 until 2002.
In only the first month of the season, the team has already sold twice as many jerseys as in all of last year’s campaign. Six scouts typically attend each game, and a representative from the Sacramento Kings spent two days observing him in practice before coming to see him play in Le Mans.
Weisz said, “Victor’s resolve is remarkable.” In many ways, he reminds me of Tony Parker.
In appearance, Wembanyama is the pinnacle of perfection.
On Friday, he grumbled to himself in frustration because he had missed a pair of easy shots in the last minutes of pregame warmups.
It’s fascinating that he waited until tonight to act. In the first half, he was only able to score seven points. Collet said, “He was really patient without pressuring anything.” His percentage clearly shows that. He had a successful shooting night (seven for ten), plus he dished out six assists and blocked five shots.
Wemby, as he is fondly known, was very dangerous in Sin City. In two preseason games, he scored 73 points, made nine 3-pointers, grabbed fifteen rebounds, and blocked nine shots, inspiring hope in the hearts of his legion of admirers.
Collet has coached the French national team for many years, most recently helping them win silver in the Olympics in Tokyo. He guarantees he will keep a careful check on Wembanyama.
A lot is at risk, so we’ll do everything we can to keep his mind on the task at hand. The two of us need to provide him the most effective assistance we can,” he stated. That kind of attention is here to stay, so he better get used to it.
