Talk about a French connection.
On Tuesday night, the San Antonio Spurs won the 2023 NBA draft lottery and the right to pick Victor Wembanyama, whom ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski called "the most highly anticipated player to ever enter the NBA."
The 19-year-old Wembanyama, who is from Nanterre, France, and currently plays for Paris-based Metropolitans 92, got a shoutout from a former Spurs star and fellow countryman. Tony Parker, who was drafted by the Spurs in 2001 before winning four NBA titles with the team, tweeted a photo of a very young Wembanyama sporting Parker's No. 9 Spurs jersey.
Yesss he's going to the @spurs !!! So proud of you💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/vblbw0lcbL
— Tony Parker (@tonyparker) May 17, 2023
The Spurs have twice before won the draft lottery. They turned those picks into Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Wembanyama, who is 7-foot-4 with an 8-foot wingspan and can shoot 3s, is the consensus top prospect in the 2023 draft class.
Before the lottery, Wembanyama hung with another member of French sporting royalty -- soccer star Kylian Mbappe, who currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain and led France to the 2018 World Cup title and 2022 World Cup final.
.@KMbappe
— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) May 16, 2023
est présent pour la soirée de la #NBADraftLottery avec @vicw_32 !
À suivre sur beIN SPORTS et via l'app NBA https://t.co/NQE1sWpx7M pic.twitter.com/gTkU51mE40
Spurs fans celebrated the lottery win along with the team.
The San Antonio way 🥳🚘#NBADraftLottery | @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/4nEugG1CsL
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 17, 2023
We got a whole 2 hours of sleep last night 😀
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) May 17, 2023
How are y'all feeling, Spurs fam?
