History of Victor Wembanyama in Timeline

Victor Wembanyama, known as "Wemby" and "The Alien," is a French professional basketball player currently with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA. Drafted first overall in 2023, he is celebrated as one of the most promising basketball prospects due to his unique blend of height, reach, defensive abilities, speed, ball-handling, shooting range, and overall agility. Wembanyama's exceptional skillset has generated considerable excitement and high expectations for his NBA career.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1959: Wilt Chamberlain's Christmas Game Performance

In 1959, Wilt Chamberlain scored 40+ points and 15+ rebounds in a Christmas game, marking a historical performance.

1961: Wilt Chamberlain's Christmas Game Performance

In 1961, Wilt Chamberlain again scored 40+ points and 15+ rebounds in a Christmas game, marking another memorable performance.

February 2003: Father Acquires French Nationality

In February 2003, Félix, Victor Wembanyama's father, acquired French nationality by naturalisation.

2003: Comparison to LeBron James

In 2003, LeBron James entered the NBA, and many publications have since compared Victor Wembanyama's anticipated arrival to that of James.

January 2004: Victor Wembanyama Born

In January 2004, Victor Wembanyama was born in Le Chesnay, in the Paris region, France, to Félix Wembanyama and Élodie de Fautereau.

2006: Andrea Bargnani Drafted #1 Overall

In 2006, Andrea Bargnani was drafted #1 overall, marking the previous instance of a European player achieving this distinction before Victor Wembanyama in 2023.

2013: Joins Nanterre 92 Youth System

In 2013, Victor Wembanyama, at age 10, joined the youth system of Nanterre 92, drawing attention due to his height.

February 2018: Plays for FC Barcelona in Minicopa del Rey

In February 2018, Victor Wembanyama was loaned to FC Barcelona for the Minicopa del Rey, where he led his team to third place.

October 2019: Professional Debut in EuroCup

On October 29, 2019, Victor Wembanyama made his professional debut, playing for Nanterre 92 against Brescia in the EuroCup, becoming the second-youngest player to play in the EuroCup at 15 years old.

2019: FIBA U16 European Championship

In 2019, Victor Wembanyama represented France at the FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine, Italy. He recorded 12 points, 21 rebounds and eight blocks in a quarterfinal win over Croatia.

2019: Professional Career Begins

In 2019, at the age of 15, Victor Wembanyama began his professional basketball career with Nanterre 92 of the LNB Pro A.

February 2020: Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT)

In February 2020, Victor Wembanyama played for Nanterre's under-18 team at the Kaunas qualifying tournament for the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT). On February 8th, he posted 22 points, 15 rebounds and an ANGT-record nine blocks in a win over the under-18 team of Zaragoza.

September 2020: LNB Pro A Debut

On September 23, 2020, Victor Wembanyama made his LNB Pro A debut, playing for Nanterre against JL Bourg.

May 2021: Season-High Performance and Best Young Player Award

On May 25, 2021, Victor Wembanyama recorded season-highs of 14 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Orléans Loiret. He was also named Pro A Best Young Player for the season.

June 2021: Signs with ASVEL

In June 2021, Victor Wembanyama signed a three-year contract with ASVEL of the Pro A and the EuroLeague.

2021: Injury During 2021-22 Season

At the end of the 2021-22 season, Victor Wembanyama suffered an injury that ruled him out of EuroBasket 2022.

2021: Clint Capela's Triple-Double

In 2021, Clint Capela achieved a triple-double via points, rebounds, and blocks, a feat that Wembanyama later matched.

2021: FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup

In 2021, Victor Wembanyama competed at the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Latvia, averaging 14 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.7 blocks per game. He was named to the all-tournament team after leading France to the silver medal.

2021: Silver Medal at FIBA Under-19 World Cup

In 2021, Victor Wembanyama led his team to a silver medal at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup and set a FIBA record for blocks per game.

July 2022: Signs with Metropolitans 92

On July 4, 2022, Victor Wembanyama signed a two-year contract with Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A.

October 2022: U.S. Debut in Exhibition Games

In October 2022, Victor Wembanyama gained recognition from American media after two exhibition games in Las Vegas against the NBA G League Ignite. The first game, on October 4, he recorded 37 points, five blocks and four rebounds in a 122–115 loss. In the second game, he led his team to a 112–106 win over the Ignite, scoring 36 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

November 2022: Debut with French Senior Team

In November 2022, Victor Wembanyama made his debut with the French senior team, scoring 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 90–65 win over Lithuania.

November 2022: Career-High Performance Against Limoges CSP

On November 4, 2022, Victor Wembanyama posted a career-high 33 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in a 78–69 win over Limoges CSP.

2022: Nikola Jokić's Christmas Game Performance

In 2022, Nikola Jokić scored 40+ points and 15+ rebounds in a Christmas game, joining a select group of players to achieve this feat.

2022: Joins Metropolitans 92

In 2022, Victor Wembanyama signed with Metropolitans 92 and became the youngest player to win the Pro A MVP award, earning Pro A Best Defender honors, and led the league in scoring, rebounds and blocks.

2022: Signing with Comsport

In 2022, Victor Wembanyama signed with agent Bouna Ndiaye of Comsport, formalizing a long-standing relationship between his family and Ndiaye.

January 2023: Game-Winning Dunk Against ASVEL

On January 9, 2023, Victor Wembanyama made a game-winning putback dunk with 3.5 seconds left and recorded 15 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in an 84–83 win over ASVEL.

June 2023: Drafted #1 Overall by San Antonio Spurs

On June 22, 2023, Victor Wembanyama was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, becoming the first French player to be drafted first overall.

July 2023: Partnership with Barcode

In July 2023, Victor Wembanyama became a brand ambassador for the sports drink brand Barcode, marking one of his high-profile sponsorship deals.

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2023: Selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 NBA draft.

In 2023, Victor Wembanyama was selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA draft due to his unique basketball abilities.

2023: NBA Draft Projections

Leading up to the 2023 NBA draft, Victor Wembanyama was the consensus number-one pick in draft projections, with concerns raised about tanking to acquire him.

January 2024: First Career Triple-Double

In January 2024, Victor Wembanyama recorded his first career triple-double, scoring 16 points, securing 12 rebounds, and providing 10 assists in a 130–108 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

May 2024: NBA Rookie of the Year

In May 2024, Victor Wembanyama was unanimously named the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year. He also secured a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team.

October 2024: Second Career Five-by-Five Game

In October 2024, Victor Wembanyama recorded his second career five-by-five game, putting up 25 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and five blocks.

2024: 2024 Summer Olympics

In 2024, Victor Wembanyama played for France at the Summer Olympics, which were held in Paris. After helping France reach the final, where they won a silver medal, Wembanyama was named the tournament's Rising Star and a member of the All-Star Five.

2024: Wins silver medal at the 2024 Olympics.

In 2024, Victor Wembanyama, playing for the French national team, won a silver medal at the Olympics.

2024: NBA Rookie of the Year and All-Defensive First Team

In 2024, following a historic rookie season in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama was named the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year and became the first rookie ever to be named to the All-Defensive First Team.