Until a few months ago, Levallois-Perret, a very bourgeois suburb on the northwest Parisian periphery, was known throughout France for the corruption scandal of its mayor for more than thirty years, Patrick Balkany. Now, this city of 67,000 inhabitants is in the news for its basketball club, Metropolitans 92 (or Mets92), in which Victor Wembanyama plays, a phenomenon of 19 years and 2.21 meters tall. Nothing less is expected than he will be the first choice in the NBA draft on June 22.
Wembanyama (or Wemby, as they already call him in the United States), who wowed last October at some exhibition games in Las Vegas, is a classic unicorn. This is how they call those rare players of enormous size and who, nevertheless, have the ease of movement and speed of players of much smaller size.
Observing Wemby on the court for the first time produces a certain anguish due to the feeling of fragility. Very skinny, his endless legs and arms look like they are going to break at any moment. We had to hold our breath, last Friday, in the league game against Nancy, when the revelation power forward of French basketball fell violently to the ground after causing a foul. "When he gets to the NBA, the first thing they'll do is send him to the weight room," joked a British colleague, in the press box, seeing the scene. At least he will have to gain ten kilos ”.
The Marcel Cerdan pavilion, with a capacity for 2,800 spectators, is filled to the brim every time there is a game. Tickets fly in a matter of minutes as soon as they go on sale on the club's website. Wembanyama is the main attraction. The shirts with the name of the player are sold at 85 euros. “You have to come see him before he goes to the NBA,” said Louis, a young fan. “He is a very complete player and very agile for his size,” he added.
In the lobby of the pavilion they have placed a large life-size photograph of the star so that the public can take photos in front of it and see the difference in height. At the end of the match, the fans come to the edge of the track for the player to sign their autographs and shirts. It is a family atmosphere, with numerous children present.
Against Nancy, Wembanyama was quite discreet. He scored just 14 points. But his team prevailed 93-87 and consolidated its second position in the championship, behind Monaco.
The coach, Vincent Collet, who is also the France coach, was critical of the player. "He must be more aggressive, get more into the zone and try his luck," he declared. He is very talented, but today he has relaxed. I think he was tired. At first he didn't get it right, and that has affected him. He passes with all the players ”. Collet is a little fed up with always being asked about his pupil's imminent jump to the NBA and the need for him to gain muscle mass. "Every day he works with his physique and strengthens himself," settled the coach.
In an interview with Le Parisien, last December, Wemby confessed that in 2018 he did not sign for Barcelona because his coaches did not alert him to his defects. "I love to progress and I need to face challenges," he explained to the newspaper. I like things to be told clearly, even if they are unpleasant to hear."
In his two games in Las Vegas, Wemby scored a total of 73 points. According to LeBron James, the young Frenchman – with a Congolese father – is more than a unicorn. After watching him play, he called him "alien." The patron of the NBA, Adam Silver, confirmed that he has "all the attributes" to succeed and that many teams dispute it. The player's agent, Bouna Ndiaye, wanted to be modest. "He must learn to be regular," he stressed.
Humility is advisable because the adventure in the NBA will not be a bed of roses. As established by the rule of balance in the American championship, the Frenchman will start in a modest team. But Wemby has time. To fill his muscles and, why not, to add perhaps a few more centimeters. They are 19 years old just turned.
