Victor Wembanyama, the 19-year-old French gem, is now proudly in the hands of Gregg Popovich and the Spurs. Dubbed the “generational talent” since LeBron James, Wemby likes to go more by his other nickname, “The Alien”. Standing tall, the 7’4 young, big man sat down with Nike for an interesting chat recently.
The session was dubbed as ‘Once a Year Interview’ and had a few fun questions, as well as some personal ones. One of the questions was about the milestones he’d like to achieve this year. He had an interesting answer.
When asked about the same, the Spurs’ center said, “I‘m trying to get my driving license, my first car.“ Wemby said that he had already made good on one thing – buying his first-ever house. But he is just 19 years old. For the kind of pressure and outside stress he’s under, Wemby looks almost like a normal teenager when answering these questions.
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Except there’s nothing normal about him, be it his situation or the guy in question. Anyway, back to the milestone part. Aside from his personal goals for this year, Wemby also touched upon his wish to be part of the Olympics in Paris. That’s his basketball milestone.
Yet, basketball offers a lot of milestones. In Wemby’s own words, “There’s always records we’re trying to reach… break.” But more importantly, the young Spur said that he would consider it a successful year if the team gets “closer to learning how to win”.
Wemby and the Nike deal
Nike already made sure to get Victor Wembanyama on their list before he set foot in the US or even the NBA. Wemby was already signed with the Swoosh during his pro career in France. Nike confirmed that his multi-year sneaker deal with them would carry over into his rookie years with the NBA.
Read More: Is Victor Wembanyama Already Better Than LeBron James at 19?
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The footwear giant is already using Wembanyama for many of their marketing campaigns. In fact, it was their genius idea to give him yet another moniker, “The Extraterrestrial” in line with a tech gear shoot. Needless to say, that nickname has taken off smoothly.
Along with Wemby, Nike’s deals this season feature around 13 rookies for shoe and apparel contracts. They include Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets), Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons), Anthony Black (Orlando Magic), Bilal Coulibaly (Washington Wizards), and Cason Wallace (Oklahoma City Thunder).
With Wembanyama, we could probably be looking at a monster Nike extension towards the end or he might even become a sneaker free agent. Not known to let go of top talents, the former looks to be more plausible. What do you think of Wemby’s milestones markers for this year? Will he be successful? Let us know your thoughts below!
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Watch This Story: Victor Wembanyama Impresses Dwight Howard With Record Breaking Game