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There's a reason a 7-foot-5 athletic freak of nature was the first overall pick in the NBA Draft.
The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama at No. 1 last month.
Combining his height with his shooting prowess and elite defense, he's seen as the league's best prospect since LeBron James.
The 19-year-old played professionally in a league in his native France, which he thought was more physical than the NBA.
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The San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama shoots over the Portland Trail Blazers' Justin Minaya during the second half of an NBA Summer League game Sunday, July 9, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
"The court is more open. It's going fast, but it's less physical," Wembanyama said after his second and final NBA Summer League game. "I get fouled a lot, but not as much. Here, players are just flying [around]. Out there, it's more on the ground, pushing on the ground, big box outs.
"Here, it's great athletes, the best in the world, way more talent. But I like this better, though."
Wembanyama has yet to play an NBA game that counts, and the Spurs pulled him from Las Vegas after just a pair of games. His next action won't be until the preseason in a couple of months.
He struggled in his Summer League debut, shooting just 2-for-13 from the floor for nine points, but he showed why he's so highly touted his next time on the floor.
In an 85-80 loss Sunday to the Portland Trail Blazers, he dropped 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Victor Wembanyama (1) of the San Antonio Spurs during a 2023 NBA Las Vegas Summer League game July 9, 2023, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. (David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Spurs said Monday they have seen all they needed to see from the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft and won’t play him during their remaining games in Las Vegas.
The shutdown wasn’t a surprise. The Spurs never planned for Wembanyama to play the entire Summer League, and now they’ll have a chance to look at other players.
"I’m going to sit down with the Spurs to know what the next months are going to be like," Wembanyama said Sunday night after what became his summer finale. "When to go on vacation, when to start back working out, where I’m going to practice, in San Antonio or somewhere else. I just know I’ve got two to three months — two to three great months — that are coming, and they’re going to change my life."
The San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama dunks over the Portland Trail Blazers' Justin Minaya during the first half of an NBA Summer League game Sunday, July 9, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Wembanyama also is taking a social media break after a recent incident between his security and Britney Spears. A security guard was accused of backhanding the pop star. However, Vegas police said they were not pursuing charges after they said security footage showed the security guard pushing Spears’ "hand off of the player without looking which causes Britney's hand to hit herself in the face."
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Wembanyama was a two-time LNB All-Star in France and the league's MVP last season. The LNB is the highest tier of professional basketball in the country.
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