Best since LeBron? Teary wonderkid tops NBA draft

Victor Wembanyama was the presumed No.1 prime for months, the uncommon certainty successful an NBA draft process that's often a guessing game.

Yet arsenic the timepiece supra the signifier helium was facing ticked each the mode down to zero, butterflies acceptable in.

“Longest 5 minutes of my life,” Wembanyama said.

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The San Antonio Spurs are assured helium volition beryllium worthy the wait.

The Spurs took the 19-year-old from France who arrives with tremendous expectations to go basketball's newest sensation, triggering chants of “Wemby! Wemby” from a radical of Spurs fans waving signs from the archetypal enactment of seats successful Barclays Center successful Brooklyn.

Victor Wembanyama hugs household and friends aft being selected archetypal wide by the San Antonio Spurs. (AP)

Wembanyama comes with acold much tallness and hype than astir No.1 picks. Listed astatine 7 ft 4 inches - oregon 224 centimetres - helium dominated his French league successful his last play there, starring each players successful scoring, rebounding and blocked shots.

Now helium makes the determination to the NBA, possibly arsenic the champion imaginable since LeBron James came retired of precocious schoolhouse successful 2003. Wembanyama brings a bundle of skills that look cleanable for the modern NBA and excessively immense for 1 player, with the size of a centre and the shooting and shot handling quality of a guard.

He teared up arsenic helium near the signifier with his Spurs headdress connected and hugged his siblings, past joked afterward astir however rapidly helium was handed a white-and-black No.1 jersey with his sanction already connected the back.

“Someone knew this was happening somehow,” helium said.

Just astir everyone did.

Wembanyama was the centre of attraction passim the draught process and sat successful the mediate of the greenish country — for the abbreviated clip helium was there, anyway. He smiled for young fans who screamed “Victor!” arsenic helium walked astir the arena, adjacent encouraging 1 to propulsion him a hoops that helium signed and tossed backmost up into the stands.

The Charlotte Hornets took Alabama freshman guardant Brandon Miller with the No.2 pick.

Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite, whose bling-filled overgarment stood successful crisp opposition to Wembanyama's coagulated greenish look, was the No.3 prime by the Portland Trail Blazers.

Victor Wembanyama reacts aft being selected archetypal wide by the San Antonio Spurs. (AP)

It was during a two-game bid betwixt teams featuring Wembanyama and Henderson past October successful Las Vegas that Wembanyama solidified himself arsenic the main antheral successful this draft, scoring 37 and 36 points successful beforehand of scouts and immoderate aboriginal opponents.

His highlights, specified arsenic a travel dunk of his ain missed three-pointer, became can't-miss contented for hoops fans during the past season.

Wembanyama is the Spurs’ 3rd No.1 prime and the archetypal since Tim Duncan successful 1997, which led to a agelong of 5 NBA championships done 2014 earlier they struggled successful caller seasons.

He became the archetypal planetary subordinate drafted No.1 without playing immoderate assemblage hoops since Andrea Bargnani successful 2006 and ended a tally of 13 consecutive years wherever a assemblage freshman went first. Blake Griffin, a sophomore successful 2010, was the past No.1 who wasn't a one-and-done.

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