San Antonio Spurs greet Victor Wembanyama with water cannons, Eiffel Tower, breakfast tacos
The San Antonio Spurs gave Victor Wembanyama a Texas-sized hello mixed in with a little taste from back home.
Wembanyama was the No. 1 pick of Thursday’s NBA Draft. And he’s one of the most acclaimed pro basketball prospects in years, possibily going back to LeBron James. So when this kind of talent finds it way to your favorite basketball court, you pull out all the stops. Or in this case, Legos.
Wemby loves Legos and he grew up in a Parisian suburb. So a member of the Spurs staff spent 15 hours building a giant Eiffel Tower to greet the future NBA star at his introductory press conference.
Fans chanted Wem-V-P when Victor Wembanyama stepped off plane
The festivities started Friday, once Victor Wembanyama flew from New York, the site of the draft, to south Texas. The local fire department used two water cannons to shower the plane as it came to a stop on the runway at a private airport. From videos of his entrance, you could see fans, some of whom had been there for hours, lining the airport fence waiting to catch a glimpse of their new favorite player.
As soon as he stepped off the plane, the fans chanted Wem-V-P.
Newest rookie dined with Spurs legends Friday night
On Friday night, Wemby dined with coach Gregg Popovich and some Spurs legends — David Robinson, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
“In probably a couple of hours, I learned more about the NBA than in my whole life before,” Victor Wembanyama told reporters about the dinner. “It’s so comforting to see the people who are so important to the city of San Antonio and to the franchise are such kind people and generous.
“They genuinely wanted to share with me their experience. I feel like they’ve already started to take great care of me.”
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The Spurs have owned the No. 1 pick three times. Wemby dined with the other two — Duncan and Robinson. Duncan told the youngster he had a similar dinner back when he was selected. So it’s a tradition.
Here’s another tradition — the Spurs won five NBA titles from 1999 through 2014. And fans think Wemby will bring another. The Spurs haven’t even made the playoffs since 2019 or won a post-season series since 2017. So it could be a tall task for this 19-year-old to win immediately. But he’s got the qualities needed to dominate. After all, he stands 7-foot-2, but has the ball skills of a guard. He got in some on-court work after he finished the press conference. His outside shot wasn’t falling, but observers said they were impressed with his dunks.
Before he arrived in San Antonio, Wemby said he was looking forward to trying a good breakfast taco. His new hometown is known for them. And he got a couple.
And then there was the giant pep rally along the River Walk.
“I can’t speak for the city,” Popovich said of the choice of Victor Wembanyama.. “I know how excited they are and how excited they were when we ended up with the first pick. But the city has always had a love affair with the Spurs, so it doesn’t change no matter who we pick or what year it is.”