By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
From hoping to build LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne around Victor Wembanyama to losing the hot prospect and from there praising him. Former player and current owner of ASVEL, Tony Parker talked to ESPN about Wembanyama.
“As a person, he is a great human being, a great kid. And he is very very talented. It’s hard to know how high he can go. That’s the beauty of it and that’s why I think every GM in the NBA thinks he is going to be number one. The sky is the limit for him. He can do anything he wants,” he replied to a question about the frontrunner for the top selection of the 2023 NBA draft.
Wembanyama, 18, opted out of his contract with ASVEL and penned a two-year contract with Metropolitans 92 this offseason. During his only season at the team controlled by Parker, he produced 6.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 0.5 assists, and 0.4 steals per contest over 15 appearances, including ten starts in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, and 8.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 0.8 steals, and 0.7 assists per game in France’s Betclic Elite LNB Pro A.
“No,” he underlined whether he is able to compare the young big man to another player, “That’s why when people ask me how can you compare, I don’t know how to compare. He is very unique because he runs like a guard, he shoots like a guard but he is 7-foot-2 and he is super long, his wingspan is unbelievable. He wants to win and his mental is great too. Mentally, he wants to be the best. So, that’s the best part of it.”
The 2023 NBA draft is scheduled to be held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net