Victor Wembanyama lauded by Nikola Vucevic with tall praise
Chicago Bulls Center and NBA veteran Nikola Vucevic praised French teenager Victor Wembanyama although the Swiss international has never watched him play live!
Wembanyama, a 7-foot-3-inch prospect, is currently playing for Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A league in France and is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
Vučević, who has seen enough highlights of Victor Wembanyama to be impressed, noted the teenager's impressive control of his body despite his height, saying:
"The thing that surprised me the most is at that age, to be that tall but to have such good control of your body, it’s very impressive. A lot of times when you grow up so tall, even me, I was only 6-10 but at that age, 18, 19, I felt clumsy. Your body is not fully developed. And he’s like already there almost. The way he controls his body, his handles, it’s very impressive."
He added:
"He looks pretty amazing. Obviously, his skill set, everybody sees that. He seems to be on a great path to greatness. But he seems to be a very humble kid from what I’ve heard and a hard worker. Hopefully we get to meet him here."
You can find the whole article on NBC Sports.
Impressed by not only his skill but his body control, Nikola Vučević sees French teenage sensation Victor Wembanyama helping further grow popularity, power of basketball in France.
For @NBCSChicago: nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/…
Nikola Vucevic claims Victor Wembanyama will not be the first French basketball product in NBA
Vučević, who has been in the NBA for a decade, has also seen the rise of French basketball over the years. He is close friends with New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier, who is one of many French stars who have helped the French national team become a player on the international stage.
Victor Wembanyama is heating up 🔥
He's hit 3 threes in a row on the NBA App.
WATCH: app.link.nba.com/wembyvsdijon https://t.co/gkiYVCfAL0
Vučević believes that Victor Wembanyama will help continue to grow French basketball, saying:
"For the longest, people didn’t really follow basketball here or care for it. And then once you started having some very good NBA players, the French national team has become very good. It will always be a football (soccer) country. But that’s when it became more of a basketball country as well. You had Tony Parker and Boris Diaw and the younger generation after them, (Nicolas) Batum and Evan Fournier, all those guys.”
The 32-year-old had some more, genuine praise for Victor Wembanyama:
"With Victor, he’s a one-of-a-kind player and one of the biggest prospects the NBA has ever seen. So I’m sure once he gets to the NBA, I’m sure there will be even more buzz and people will talk about it even more. The more good players you have that go to the highest level and play from your country, the more interest people will have in it."
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