The 2023 NBA Draft Lottery was one that was eagerly awaited by teams and their fans, as they hoped to be the ones to land a generational talent.
Ultimately, it was the San Antonio Spurs who won the lottery and they will get to draft Victor Wembanyama later this year. Wembanyama seemed happy with the outcome and he explained that there’s a special connection between the Spurs and France.
“There’s a special relation between France and the Spurs because of Tony (Parker) of course and also Boris (Diaw),” Wembanyama said. “I know half of the country, maybe if not the whole country wanted the Spurs to have the first pick so I was looking at everyone and everyone was happy so I was too.”
"There's a special relation between France and the Spurs. … The whole country wanted the Spurs to have the first pick."
-Victor Wembanyama
(via @NBA) https://t.co/PuPdb2KfaD
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 17, 2023
Tony Parker spent 17 seasons with the Spurs, during which he won four championships, and he was the Finals MVP in 2007. He could be regarded as the greatest French basketball player ever and is certainly the best Frenchman to have played in the league. It really wouldn’t be much of a surprise if a lot of the NBA fans in France supported the Spurs, thanks to Parker.
Boris Diaw is also someone who would be considered among the best French players in NBA history. He spent five seasons of his career with the Spurs and won a title with them in 2014 along with Parker. Wembanyama said he had a feeling he would end up in San Antonio and it turned out to be right.
The Spurs Have Hit The Jackpot
After trading away Kawhi Leonard in 2018 to the Toronto Raptors, the Spurs have been in a bit of a rut. They haven’t won a playoff series in six seasons now, and it really didn’t look like they were going to get good anytime soon. With Wembanyama among their ranks now though, the future suddenly looks incredibly bright.
While next season might still not be a great one as Wembanyama adjusts to the NBA but provided he stays healthy, he is going to be a dominant force in the league for years to come. Adrian Wojnarowski said the Frenchman is the most highly anticipated player to ever enter the NBA and even went as far as to say he is maybe the greatest prospect in the history of team sports.
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