Staff Writer
Emmanuel Saravas talks to AFP about “Wemby’s” early years two years ago, just as the prodigy was starting to establish himself in French basketball. His former coach at the Entente Le Chesnay-Versailles recalls, “When he was five, everyone thought he was ten.”
Victor the youngster started to handle the orange ball in this affluent commune in the Yvelines department. Emmanuel Saravas says, pointing to an old size 20 shoe his player wore when he was 15: “We suspected he’d have the body to play high-level basketball: his mom is 1.91 m tall, and his dad is 2.05 m tall.”
“Often, coaches’ sons who spend time at the gym have something extra, they train harder than the others, and they always have the ball in their hands,” says Emmanuel Saravas. His former coach recalls, “We could see the three kids not far away while Élodie, his mother, was coaching; they’ve always been immersed in basketball.”
Victor is not alone either; his older sister Ve, a basketball player, currently represents Monaco after graduating from ASVEL in 2021–2022, just like Victor, and their younger brother Oscar, who originally switched to handball, is still active in the sport.
This sketching enthusiast was outclassed from the moment he made his debut at Chesnay-Versailles, a habit he would continue throughout his career, both with the national team and at the club level, as well as in his personal life off the field, given that he completed his baccalaureate with honors and a year early.
“We were amazed at his motor skills: he could do incredible things for a child his age,” recalls Emmanuel Saravas, who trained him from the age of seven to nine.
His previous coach, who recognized in him as a youngster the potential of Dirk Nowitzki, the 2.13 m German who captivated the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks for almost 20 years with his outside shooting, said of his game: “What’s amazing about his game is that he can dribble, shoot, pass the ball, and run.”
“He can bring the ball up, play strong wing, pivot, and occasionally even wing. A special athlete who is capable of doing it all, Wembanyama is, in the words of one of his Nanterre coaches, Michael Bur, who believes it would be incorrect to judge Wembanyama just on the basis of his size (2.24 m, according to the NBA website).
According to Michael Bur, “He always adjusted very quickly to the older players.” He garnered even more fame by dashing at the U19 World Championship in July 2019 but had to settle for silver with Les Bleuets as they lost to the USA in the final.
He won the French championship with ASVEL in 2021–2022, despite a season marred by recurrent ailments, before leaving ASVEL for Metropolitans 92.
After a full season, he established himself as the new face of French basketball, taking home the MVP award at the end of the regular season and showcasing his skill on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court to help his team win the championship.
The Boulogne-Levallois adventure also involved a trip to Las Vegas for exhibition games, where “Wemby” made an impression on all of the biggest American stars, most notably LeBron James.
Although he had not yet lived in the United States, he displayed excellent communication skills and maturity in front of the media by showcasing his strong command of English in interviews. The only probable issue for this young phenom from Paris’ future now that he is set for the NBA’s jam-packed schedules is his physique.
Wembanyama has come a long way in this regard, but he is still somewhat fragile and will need to put on weight to be able to handle the powerful rackets and frequent games of the NBA.
However, his previous coaches are not concerned about him. They are confident that he will exert intelligent effort to maintain his physical attributes, such as his shooting technique, rather than metamorphosis.
