“My hardest pic of 2023”: Victor Wembanyama recounts NBA draft night snapshot as last year’s highlight
Victor Wembanyama successfully made it to the NBA and was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. With all the hype surrounding him, the 7-foot-4 French big man shows a humane side of himself in his recent post on social media.
In Wembanyama's X account, formerly Twitter, 2023 is indeed a memorable one for him but he bared that his hardest picture to take was with his parents on draft day:
"Literally just me making my parents proud, but still the hardest pic of 2023," said Wembanyama.
Victor Wembanyama was born in Le Chesnay, France to Felix Wembanyama and Elodie de Fautereau. He inherited his athleticism from his parents, who were both athletes during their younger days.
Felix Wembanyama was a former track and field competition from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He initially wanted Victor to focus on track but supported his son's passion for basketball.
Elodie de Fautereau was a former basketball player and is currently a coach. The Wembanyama family has a basketball heritage where his grandfather was a first-division player in the 1960s.
Furthermore, his sister, Eve, plays professionally and his younger brother, Oscar, is gaining attention in French basketball.
Victor Wembanyama in 2023
It was quite a year for Victor Wembanyama as he kicked it by coming in fresh from his LNB All-Star Game where he was a captain and became the youngest MVP with 27 points, 12 rebounds and four assists while leading his team to an eight-point win over their opponents.
Playing for the Metropoloitants 92, he declared for the NBA draft on April 2023. At the end of the regular season, Wembanyama became the youngest player to win the LNB Pro A MVP Award. His team made it to the finals but got swept by AS Monaco.
After getting selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs, he achieved a distinct recognition as the first French player and second European player to do so.
In his regular-season debut on Oct. 25, he set a rookie record for three-pointers in a game for the Spurs. Notably, on Nov. 2, he scored a career-high 38 points, joining LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only teenagers in NBA history to achieve at least 35 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in a game.
Victor Wembanyama in his first 28 games in the NBA, has averaged 18.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.1 blocks, 3.0 assists, 1.4 3-pointers and 1.3 steals.