COLE BURSTON/Getty Images via AFP
Basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama, here in February, was named “rookie of the year” by the NBA this Monday, May 6.
BASKETBALL – A first for a French player. At only 20 years old, basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama was named this Monday, May 6 “rookie of the year”be the best beginner of the year by the NBA, the American basketball league.
In addition to being the first Frenchman to receive this distinction, the Spurs number 1 also makes history by joining the very restricted circle of players having been unanimously elected. An extremely rare event in the history of the NBA, since it has only happened six times before. Wemby ranks alongside players such as Ralph Sampson, David Robinson, Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard and Karl-Anthony Towns.
The one who was drafted in No. 1 by the San Antonio Spurs in June 2023, thus wins a first trophy, which calls for others, as confirmed by a first NBA season living up to the immense expectations it arouses. Wemby is now aiming for the Paris Olympic Games with the French team.
“Looking forward to seeing you at the Games!” » the Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, reacted on X on Monday evening. “ His career is a Source of pride for France and for all basketball lovers”he added.
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A “very important” title for Wemby
After such a distinction, the emotion was present in the young athlete. “I knew that to get there, I had to be good individually and dominant on the field”, declared Victor Wembanyama to the TNT channel. The title of rookie of the year “has always been very important and I’m happy that it’s finally official”.
Fanatics gathered a panel of former Rookies of the Year to congratulate Victor Wembanyama, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, David Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, all of whom also won the award . The video, visible belowis impressive.
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Although not very victorious with the Spurs (22 wins, 60 losses), Wembanyama lit up the league with his talent, immediately becoming one of the fans’ favorites: he was the third player to have generated the most videos ” views “ on social networks (1.3 billion) according to the NBA, behind superstars LeBron James (1.9) and Stephen Curry (1.7).
And he continued to improve throughout the season. “I made a big effort (…) the selection of shots and also, after the playing time restrictions that I had, I had to come back in good shape to play more than 30-35 minutes . Cardio, I think, I’ve made big progress on that”analyzed the French prodigy. “I have never improved so much in so few months, so I am very happy”.
In 71 of his franchise’s 82 games he was rested for a few ankle scares, the Frenchman averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 blocks, placing him in leader for the entire NBA in this last statistical area.
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