Victor Wembanyama has only a season and a half in the NBA but the powerful North American basketball league already sees this phenomenon as one of its main ambassadors, reinforced by the media and popular enthusiasm for his coming to Paris with the Spurs.
You only had to see the very large influx of journalists – comparable to that of the NBA finals – who came from all over the world to Paris to attend the Bercy Arena at the last half hour of training followed by a short press conference on Wednesday, on the eve of the first of San Antonio’s two matches against the Indiana Pacers, to measure the importance of the event.
Not only for France, very happy to reconnect with its prodigy six months after the Olympic silver won on this same floor against Team USA. But also for the NBA, which has long known that it has a jewel to polish to make the best international promotion of its championship, while LeBron James will sooner or later end up leaving a vacant throne for the role of superstar of the League.
The vote of fans around the world to determine the typical teams for the next All-Star Game attests to this, since Wembanyama is 4th, only ahead in the Western conference by Nikola Jokic, the current best player in the world, « LBJ » and Kevin Durant, both in the twilight of their immense careers and as such still acclaimed.
Drafted in June 2023, “Victor came at the right time for the NBA, which has implemented a worldwide development strategy”notes Tania Ganguli, special correspondent for the New York Times in Paris.
« Unique »

Victor Wembanyama trains in the Accor Arena – Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy – as part of the Paris Games 2025 on January 22, 2025 in Paris / FRANCK FIFE / AFP
Reason why the NBA has gone to great lengths to support the young pivot, already crowned with all the praise from his peers – first and foremost « King James » who sees in him « an extra-terrestrial » -, in these Paris Games, by far the most anticipated since this annual meeting was established in 2020.
The Spurs thus partly financed two 3×3 and 5×5 pitches in Chesnay, Wembanyama’s hometown, whose aura among young people is obviously a godsend.
Tuesday, a few hours after their inauguration, another setting, another atmosphere: the young 21-year-old star appeared at the Louis Vuitton fashion show (of which he is one of the ambassadors), just to raise the profile a little more. « hype ».
Because the potential “Wemby” does not only express itself with the orange ball in hand. When, on the eve of a Christmas match in New York, a moment widely followed by millions of television viewers, he had fun playing chess in Central Park, he attracted interest from a different audience, to the great satisfaction of the NBA, which sees all the benefits in terms of image and influence.
“Victor is curious, very cultured, he is very open to the world. He is a unique person, who excels at basketball but is connected to so many other people, because of his many facets and thanks to his wide range of interests. It makes our work easier”praised Adam Silver, boss of the League, on Wednesday.
Billion views
Always quick to demonstrate Wembanyama’s media weight through figures, the NBA emphasizes that this season he is the third most watched player on social networks with 735 million views, just behind Stephen Curry (737) and a good distance from LeBron James (1.04 billion). He is also the fastest rookie (his status for the first two seasons) to have reached one billion views on the League’s social networks.

San Antonio Spurs’ French forward-center #01 Victor Victor Wembanyama (right) trains with his Spurs teammates in the Accor Arena – Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy – as part of the Paris Games 2025 on January 22, 2025 in Paris / FRANCK FIFE / AFP
In the ranking of jersey sales, he is first in France, second in Europe behind James and fifth worldwide, behind Curry, James, Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brunson.
“Its impact is already unprecedented. The audience for Spurs matches, on our (subscription site) League Pass, has tripled year on year »adds George Aivazoglou, NBA executive in charge of Europe and the Middle East, with relish.
It must be said that in terms of play, the Wembanyama meteorite is not weakening, his current statistics testify to this (24.4 pts, 10.8 rebounds, 4 blocks).
“People are really impressed with what he does. He meets all the expectations that everyone had before his arrival. He is already the favorite to win the title of best defender of the year. For a guy who’s only in his second season, it’s incredible.”argues Tania Ganguli.
To finally fully understand what Wembanyama represents, just listen to the experienced Rick Carlisle, who made Dirk Nowitzki a champion with Dallas (2011) and today coaches the Pacers: “It is very likely,” he said, “that Victor will become the face of the NBA and basketball in general.”.