Top NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama speaks on basketball future

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Something you’ve never seen before. NBA draft prospect Victor Wembanyama doesn’t mince words when talking about his future.

The 7-foot-3 French basketball player, who projects to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, spoke to the American media for the first time. This comes ahead of his Metropolitans 92 exhibition matchups against another top draft prospect guard Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite.

"I'm gonna tell you something that's been going on in my life, like for my whole life, since I've been a kid, even before I played basketball," Wembanyama said in an interview with the Associated Press, where he shared some insight into his goals as a basketball player. 

"I've always tried to do [something] different. I'm not even talking about sports, whatever. Any field, I'm always trying to be original, something original, something one of one, something that's never been done before. And this is really how it worked in my life. I don't know where it comes from. I think I was born with it. I've always been trying to be original. Unique, that's the word."

These exhibition games are held during the Metropolitans' season, which is currently underway. 

They have already played three games this season and will play these exhibitions on Tuesday and Thursday in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nev. to help introduce Wembanyama to the U.S. basketball audience. Almost 200 scouts are looking to be in attendance and every NBA team in the league will be in the audience to watch Wembanyama play. 

The Associated Press has shared that journalists have flown in from France, Brazil and Canada for the exhibition games. 

With the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns playing their upcoming preseason games in Las Vegas on Wednesday night and the WNBA Champion Las Vegas Aces in town, it's possible that even a few NBA and WNBA players might even try to get a look at Wembanyama.

With many considering Wenbanyama a can't-miss player in the upcoming class, it's safe to say that he is one of the biggest prospects that the league has seen since NBA superstar LeBron James. But how is the young prodigy dealing with the pressure?

"I was built for this, I guess," Wembanyama said. "All of what happens to me, I expected for myself. So it’s just a checklist of expectations. I’m not surprised by what’s happening to me. And yeah, this is happening, this is how I can manage it and I think I managed it well."

With the 2023 NBA Draft a while away, we still have a few more months before this young athlete shows us what he can do.

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