Kevin Durant is in awe of Victor Wembanyama’s basketball tradition and abilities being a non-American athlete
Victor Wembanyama has continued to take the basketball world by storm. That includes Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant, who found himself in awe when watching the talented prospect.
Over the last several seasons, Wembanyama has generated buzz as the "next big thing" when it comes to NBA Draft prospects. There were still some that remained cautious, as international players have had a shaky track record of living up to hype. Those doubts were put to rest when Wembanyama traveled to Las Vegas to take on the G-League Ignite in a pair of exhibition games. It didn't take long before fans realized that the hype was real.
After a pair of eye-opening performances, Wembanyama has found himself as a runaway favorite to be the "grand prize" of the 2023 NBA Draft lottery. On a recent episode of "The ETCS with KD," superstar forward Kevin Durant was asked about his thoughts regarding the talented big man. Durant expressed that "words can't even describe" when it comes to the 7'4" big man.
"I mean, words can't even describe like you can't even create that on the game. You couldn't even reach the 7-4, and you can't run. I just want to know what does his parents look like? Like, what city did he come out of?
"Like how did you become that natural playing the game of basketball because I grew up like actually going outside across the street from my house and just like run up down the court dribbling the ball every day."
Durant then went into detail about how he was just trying to figure out how a prospect like this could come from overseas. Victor Wembanyama was originally born in France and has been blossoming in international competition over the years. Durant continued to stress astonishment when it comes to how Victor has gotten to this point.
"I was just like, 'All right, I naturally know how to do this like, and I wonder how other people got to that point ... it becoming second nature to them, and like you in my city, it was basketball basketball basketball, that's all we did.
"Like we had an NBA team in my city, you know what I'm saying, but he come from France somewhere. It's not really a huge point of reference and when you come from every day, you know what I'm saying, I'm just curious."
Victor Wembanyama’s dominates every game he has played coming in USA
Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant isn't the only basketball fan in awe of Victor Wembanyama. There's plenty of NBA executives and scouts just salivating at the opportunity to add the 18-year-old to their roster. Wembanyama is shaping up to be one of the most hyped prospects in recent NBA Draft history. At 7'4", with a reported 8'0" wingspan, Wembanyama has the ability to transform the NBA with his measureables.
It's not just his size on the court, but how he uses it that has NBA teams and executives drooling. Victor Wembanyama has shown the potential to be a dominant two-way force on the basketball court. During his showing against the G-League Ignite, Wembanyama dazzled fans with his three-point shooting and rim protecting.
Future No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama was unreal again today. 24 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and the important road win in OT versus previously undefeated Le Mans, including plenty of dunks, 3s and tremendous defensive plays. +17 in a narrow win. https://t.co/AmfHTjgGga
One of his most impressive games included a 36-point, 11-rebound performance. During that game, Victor went on to post four blocks as well. The tools are legit, and there's no denying that teams will be aiming to have a chance to win the lottery next year. For a number of teams, that could be looking at the idea of tanking, it looks as if Wembanyama will be a heck of a prize.