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French prodigy Wembanyama gets early taste of NBA

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Nicolas Pratviel, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Victor Wembanyama of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 shoots over Eric Mika of G League Ignite in their exhibition game on October 6, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. Steve Marcus/Getty Images/AFP" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/afp/10/07/20221007-victor-wembanyama-afp.jpg"/><figcaption>Victor Wembanyama of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 shoots over Eric Mika of G League Ignite in their exhibition game on October 6, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. <em>Steve Marcus/Getty Images/AFP</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>With an 8-foot wingspan and the smooth shooting touch of a point guard despite his towering frame, French prodigy Victor Wembanyama didn&#x27;t disappoint in his first US appearance.</p><p>Wembanyama, 18, flew to Nevada with his French league team to showcase the skills that many informed observers believe will make him the number one pick in next year&#x27;s NBA draft.</p><p>About 200 NBA team representatives and more than 70 media outlets were on hand for the teenager&#x27;s first ever match on US soil as he led the Metropolitans, based in the Paris suburbs of Boulogne-Levallois, against G League team Ignite.</p><p>Despite facing another hot NBA prospect, Scoot Henderson, the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama grabbed 37 points and made five blocks as his team went down to a 122-115 loss.</p><p>He followed up that eye-catching debut with another masterpiece on Thursday, scoring 36 points with 11 rebounds, four blocks and four assists in a 112-106 win over the Ignite.</p><p>He has even drawn comparisons to LeBron James at the same age.</p><p>The four-time NBA champion repaid the compliment, calling him a &quot;generational talent&quot;.</p><p>&quot;No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is out on the floor,&quot; James said on Wednesday.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/03/22/kai-scores-11-in-adelaides-upset-over-phoenix-suns">Kai Sotto scores 11 in Adelaide&#x27;s upset over Phoenix Suns</a></li></ul><p>&quot;I mean at 7-foot-4, or 7-foot-5, or 7-foot-3, whatever the case may be, his ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers out of the post, step-back threes, catch-and-shoot threes, block shots.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/08/30/22/jordan-clarkson-still-sees-bright-future-for-kai-sotto">&#x27;Just stay with it&#x27;: Clarkson still sees bright future for Kai Sotto</a></li></ul><p>While Wembanyama&#x27;s unique array of talents have prompted some to describe him as a &quot;unicorn&quot;, James said the French teenager was &quot;more like an alien&quot;.</p><p>The fans in the half-filled 5,000-capacity Dollar Loan Center in Henderson on Tuesday will be able to say they got an early look at a player who many experts believe could surpass France&#x27;s two leading basketball exports, Rudy Gobert, formerly of the Utah Jazz and now with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Tony Parker, who was an integral part of championship-winning teams at the San Antonio Spurs.</p><div><strong>- &#x27;It&#x27;s talent&#x27; -</strong></div><p>Wembanyama&#x27;s club coach Vincent Collet, who has also guided the French national team to Olympic and European silver medals in the last two years, was not surprised at his young charge&#x27;s performance.</p><p>&quot;For a boy of 18, his maturity is impressive. He knows who he is, what he wants and he recognizes the effort he will need to put in to achieve it,&quot; Collet said.</p><p>Wembanyama took the media frenzy in his stride, fielding questions from US network ESPN and a gaggle of American reporters.</p><p>He described the games in Nevada as &quot;the most important of my life in terms of showcasing myself to a global audience&quot;.</p><p>He was accompanied on the trip by his parents and staff from the Comsport agency, who also represent Gobert and other French players in the NBA.</p><p>It was the NBA&#x27;s idea to organize the games between the Metropolitans and Ignite, even though the French club have already begun their domestic league season.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/03/22/cone-says-kai-sotto-reminds-him-of-chinas-wang-zizhi">Cone says Kai Sotto reminds him of Chinese behemoth Wang Zizhi</a></li></ul><p>Such is Wembanyama&#x27;s talent that there is speculation some NBA teams may &#x27;tank&#x27;, or deliberately finish in the lowest positions that guarantee them one of the top five draft picks, in the upcoming season that opens on October 18.</p><p>&quot;When you are dealing with unique players like Victor, you are not surprised. He is capable of doing things that normal players can&#x27;t do. It&#x27;s talent,&quot; said Collet.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2092747" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

French prodigy Victor Wembanyama didn't disappoint in his first US appearance.

French prodigy Wembanyama gets early taste of NBA

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French prodigy Wembanyama gets early taste of NBA

Nicolas Pratviel,

Agence France-Presse

Published Oct 07, 2022 06:40 AM PHT

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Victor Wembanyama

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