Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama (born 4 January 2004) is a French professional basketball player for Nanterre 92 of the LNB Pro A. A 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in) power forward, he is considered one of the best European prospects of his generation.

Victor Wembanyama
No. 32 – Nanterre 92
PositionPower forward
LeagueLNB Pro A
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (2004-01-04) 4 January 2004
Le Chesnay, France
NationalityFrench
Listed height2.18[1] m (7 ft 2 in)
Listed weight95 kg (209 lb)
Career information
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentNanterre 92
2020–present→Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  France
FIBA U16 European Championship
2019 ItalyTeam

Early life and youth career

Wembanyama was born in Le Chesnay, France.[2] He grew up playing football as a goalkeeper and practicing judo.[3] Wembanyama was coached in basketball by his mother, who played the sport, since he was four or five years old.[4] He began his career at his local club Entente Le Chesnay Versailles and joined the youth system of Nanterre 92 at age ten. His parents refused offers from bigger clubs like FC Barcelona and ASVEL.[5] In February 2018, Wembanyama was loaned to FC Barcelona for the Minicopa del Rey, an under-14 tournament in Spain, leading his team to third place. He recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds in the third-place game.[6]

In the 2019–20 season, Wembanyama began playing for Espoirs Nanterre in the LNB Espoirs, the French under-21 league.[7] In February 2020, he played for Nanterre's under-18 team at the Kaunas Tournament, a qualifier for the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT). On 8 February, Wembanyama posted 22 points, 15 rebounds and an ANGT-record nine blocks in a win over the under-18 team of Zaragoza.[8] He averaged 15.8 points, 12 rebounds, 2.8 steals and six blocks per game, leading the tournament in blocks, and was named to the all-tournament team.[9] Through 13 Espoirs games, he averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 20.1 minutes per game.[10]

On 23 September, Wembanyama made his 2020–21 Espoirs season debut, recording 22 points, 18 rebounds, five blocks and four assists in an 86–74 win over Espoirs JL Bourg.[11] He was assigned to Centre Fédéral and made his Nationale Masculine 1 debut on 21 October, recording 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks in a 72–63 victory over STB Le Havre.[12]

Professional career

On 29 October 2019, Wembanyama made his professional debut for Nanterre 92, playing 31 seconds against Brescia in the EuroCup. At 15 years, nine months and 25 days old, he became the second-youngest player after Stefan Petković to play in the EuroCup.[13] On 23 September 2020, Wembanyama made his LNB Pro A debut, grabbing one rebound in four minutes in a 95–82 loss to JL Bourg.[14]

National team career

Wembanyama represented France at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine, Italy. In an 80–78 quarterfinal win over Croatia, he recorded 12 points, 21 rebounds and eight blocks.[15] Wembanyama averaged nine points, 9.6 rebounds and a tournament-leading 5.3 blocks per game, leading France to a silver medal and earning all-tournament team honors.[16]

Personal life

Wembanyama's father is a former long jumper, and his mother played basketball. His older sister, Eve, plays basketball professionally and won a gold medal with France at the 2017 FIBA U16 Women's European Championship in France.[5]

References
  1. https://www.lnb.fr/fr/proa/joueurs/victor-wembanyama-A756789.html
  2. Wembanyama, Victor (6 February 2020). Portrait : La vie de... Victor Wembanyama (Video). Nanterre 92.
  3. "Size doesn't matter to France center Wembanyama". FIBA. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  4. Lesage, Julien (23 September 2020). ""Mon objectif, c'est la NBA" : à 16 ans, Victor Wembanyama est déjà un phénomène". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  5. Lesage, Julien (6 May 2018). "Basket : Victor Wembanyama, 14 ans et déjà géant !". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  6. "El pívot francés de 2.08 m. y 14 años que probó con el Barça en la Minicopa se queda en el Nanterre". KIA en Zona (in Spanish). 25 February 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  7. Schmitz, Mike (12 February 2020). "Victor Wembanyama is one of the best long-term NBA prospects in the world". ESPN. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  8. "Victor Wembanyama, 16, has historic ANGT performance". EuroHoops. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  9. Hein, David (9 February 2020). "Tubelis takes home MVP as Rytas takes first place". Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  10. "Victor Wembanyama" (in French). Ligue nationale de basket. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  11. Pantel-Jouve, Gabriel (24 September 2020). "41 d'évaluation : Victor Wembanyama commence fort sa saison Espoirs". BeBasket (in French). Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  12. Brouet, Christophe (21 October 2020). "Victor Wembanyama sort une énorme performance pour sa première en Nationale 1 avec le Centre Fédéral !". Basket Infos (in French). Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  13. "Nanterre 92 vs. Germani Brescia Leonessa - Game - Welcome to 7DAYS EuroCup". EuroCup Basketball. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  14. Rutard, Sacha (24 September 2020). "Le chiffre: Victor Wembanyama, 16 ans, 8 mois et 20 jours". BasketEurope (in French). Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  15. Rutard, Sacha (14 August 2019). "Euro U16: Propulsée par un phénoménal Victor Wembanyama (37 d'évaluation), la France se hisse en demi-finale". BasketEurope (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  16. "France at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2019". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
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