Wmbnym, te 19 y/ Frnch bsktbll str, d bn erhs te st-hyped rsect snce LBrn Jes
Wbny, t 19-year-old Frnch bsktbll str, d bn ras t st-yped rsct snce LBrn Js.
Vctor Wbny d rwn n t sbrbs f Prs dring bt ts nt snce ws 12 years ld. H d ln flt s tg ws dffrnt fr ryon ls, s tg could b rt nd nt jst n bsktbll.
Hd snt t st srl nts, nd n t lst fw dys, xdng cool calm bt s ftr. Bt wn s nt fnlly rrved, cried.
T Sn Antn Srs slctd Wbny, 19, N. 1 rall n Trsdays drft t Brclys Cntr n Brklyn. In dng s, ty ffcally strtd t career f n f t st gly ntcpted rscts n lu story.
Bst flng f y lf, Wbny sd. Prbbly t bst nht f y lf. I bn dring bt ts fr s ln.
T Crltte Hrnts slctd Albs Brndn Mllr wt t N. 2 ck. T Prtlnd Trl Blzrs chose Scoot Hndrsn, rd fr t s G Lu Inte, wt t trd ck.
In Sn Antn, Srs Cch Gr Pich ws trlled.
Hs nt LBrn, r T, r Kb, r nyone ls, Pich tld rrtrs tr. Hs Vctor.
Frtn lyers fr tsde t Untd Stts e bn slctd frst rall n t drft. Wbny s t frst nternatonal t ck w dd nt ly g school r college bsktbll n t U.S. snce t Itln lyer Andr Brnn, w t Trnt Rtrs slctd frst n 2006.
At r tn sn ft tll, wt t lty and ball-handling sklls f ch sllr lyer, Wbny s drwn comparisons t strs lke Ganns Antetokounmpo and Kevin Drnt. H s ln dred ts lyers, bt s ftn sd dsnt wnt t b lk nyone n rtculr. H s sd wnts t b sthing tts nr bn sn bfr nd wll nr b sn n.
At drft nht rty t t Srs rn, t crowd ws chanting Wby n r bfr t drft d n bn.
On Wdnsdy, t tk t nsl st f stng nws conference jst fr Wbny bfr t tr rscts ddrssd t nws da n rps.
Wlcom t Sn Antn, rrtr fr Txs sd drng Wmbanyamas nws conference. Wt t drft stll dy wy, t rrtr qckly ddd, Nt yet.
Wbny sled.
Nt yet, sd.
Wbny d bn rjctd s t N. 1 ck fr ts drft n bfr t 2022-23 ssn. Mllr, Hndrsn nd t Tpsn twns frm Overtime Elt, semiprofessional lu fr rscts, d ls bn xctd t b g drft cks. Hstn tk An Tpsn wt t frt ck, nd Dtrt slctd Asr Tpsn t N. 5.
T Surs wn t drft lttry n My, s Wbny wtched wt frnds nd fly n Frnce.
I ws jst tnkng I ws flng lcky tt ty t t ck s frnchise tt s tt culture nd tt xrinc n wnnn nd kng, creating d lyers, Wbny sd n Wdnsdy. I rlly cant wt.
T Srs e d strn story wt Frnch lyers nd wt t t ck n t drft.
Ty drftd t Frnch nt rd Tny Prkr lt n t frst rnd n 2001. H wn fr championships wt t Srs nd ws nd t st lble lyer f t fnls n 2007. Antr Frnch lyer, Brs Dw, snt r tn fr ssns n Sn Antn nd ws rt f t 2014 championship t.
T Srs e ls d rt sccess kng t frst ck n t drft. In 1987, ty sd t N. 1 ck t tk Dd Rbnsn, w wn t lus M.V.P. Awrd n 1995, ws 10-te All-Str nd wn tw championships wt t Srs. Tn n 1997, Sn Antn chose T Dncan frst rall. Dncan wnt n t wn fe championships nd tw M.V.P. Awrds, nd ws nd fnls M.V.P. tr tes.
Cng nt t wt tt knd f story ght s lk lt f rssr fr tnr lk Wbny, bt s rd t b nrffld by t.
On Wdnsdy, Wbny ws skd bt comment fr ndt, w sd tt s career wld b dsappontment f t wsnt lk tt f Drnt r Hk Oljwn.
Wbny calmly dsssed t ris.
I t sch g xctations fr yself tt I une t ll ts stff, sd. S I rlly dnt care.
Wbny rw n L Csny, wst f Prs, bt lft t 14 t le bt 20 nutes wy n t drs f s childhood club, Nntrr. H wnt t g school cross t strt. H s lyed rofessionally n Frnce snce ws 15, ftn competing nst nd wt lyers ch ldr tn m. It nt d fw pprtunities t ld t.
Bt lst ssn, strrd fr Mtrplitans 92, Frnch club bsd n t Prs sbrb f Levallois-Perret. Mst f s es wr brdcst n t A.
Only ts year I d t rtunity t lrn t knw ts knd f responsibility, Wbny sd. It s t bst tng I lrnd n y career s fr.
T t d created ln t rr Wbny ysically nd ntlly fr t In trn, Wbny bcam dly nested n s tmmts rwt.
On dy n Arl, tld s nt Bn Ndye tt ndd scond tltic trner bcaus t frst ws erladed. Ndye, ssing Wbny nt scond trner fr mself, fnd n nd d bn rrd t y t scond trners slry t stsfy s client. Bt Wbny tld m t trner ws fr t wl t.
H tld , Y, bt you dnt understand, Ndye sd. My tts nd tt. Bcaus I blv n ts t.
T club ntally rd t re nter trner.
Wbny ws nd t st lble lyer f s Frnch lu, t youngest r t wn tt wrd, nd ld s t t scond-plac fns. Ty lst n t fnls lst wk.
H t t Nw Yrk n Mndy, xcitd t xrinc t city d nly sn n fls nd n tlision.
H rd t sbwy t Ynk Stdum n t Brnx fr Clbs Crcle n Mnttn n Tsdy. H jed r t trnstle s xtd t trn stton n age t Jcques Crac, t frr Frnch president, who ed trnstle n t Prs tr n 1980. Wbny trw t t ceremonial frst tch fr t Ynks e nst Sttl nd lhed ftr t sled wd.
It d trwis bn dffcult fr Wbny t sply t nd s t city. T ntcpton fr wt gts s career could rch d bn bldng n bfr Trsdays ffcal wlcom nt t
Wbny ws t frst lyer t wlk nt t rn r, n t flr f Brclys Cntr, n Trsdy nht. Abt tw nd lf rs bfr wld r s n called, wlkd nt t st fr nt. As lft t flr nute ltr, trnd bck t lk t t st n r te.
Ts s wn t strtd t fl lttl bt rl, Wbny sd ftr ws slctd. It stll snt completely rl. At tt nt I strtd visualizing.
Ech t d fe nutes t k ts slction. Altg t Srs ck d bn sbtted rly n t llttd te, Cissiner Ad Sler wted ntl ll fe nutes d lsd bfr nnncing t slction.
Lnst fe nutes f y lf, Wbny sd.
Hs stch bn t flttr, nd s fly rw qet. Ty bn lkng t tr wtches.
Tn Sler fnlly called Wmbanyamas n, nd nw chapter f s lf bn.