Almost a year ago to the day, Tony Parker delivered this analysis, while Victor Wembanyama had been drafted by the Spurs and would, in a few weeks, begin his NBA adventure with the Spurs.
“There’s a lot of expectations and sometimes it worries me. I’ve been following him for a long time, he’s going to have an incredible career. I also know he has high expectations for himself. I just think sometimes the expectations are unrealistic. But he’s definitely going to change the game. We’ve never seen that before, a player his size, with all his skills. I just really hope people are patient, because it’s going to take time for him to dominate the NBA and bring us a championship.”
The French interior's first season has delivered its truth since those words. Sure, there was an adaptation phase, but “Wemby” has lived up to the “unrealistic” expectations, winning the rookie of the year trophy.
“He has an opportunity to be one of the best players in the history of our sport.”
“I can't tell him anything: he's ready,” notes Tony Parker for Yahoo! Sports. “He's not bothered by pressure or expectations. He's a bit like LeBron James. He's the only one I can compare him to, given the expectations before he came to the NBA. He was incredible in his first season with the Spurs. I hope that translates into a lot of titles with the Spurs and medals with France.”
To do this, it will be necessary to play long seasons, with more than 100 matches, between the playoffs to be played with the Spurs, then the international competitions to be played with France. A real physical challenge.
“Can he play for 15 or 20 years, playing the season with Spurs and every summer with the national team? Can he do it with this body? We've never seen that. That's the only question,” notes the 2007 Finals MVP. “Can he do it consistently? The talent is crazy, his mentality is crazy, he's ready and he has an opportunity to be one of the best players in the history of our sport.”
