Victor Wembanyama — the 2023 NBA Draft’s likely No. 1 overall pick — is happy about being called an “alien” by LeBron James.
The 19-year-old French center is 7-foot-4 with an 8-foot wingspan, according to Draft Express. He’s also a thin 230 pounds and has demonstrated incredible ball-handling skills as well as an ability to shoot from outside.
James commented on these remarkable attributes back in October, calling him a “generational talent.
“We’re labeling him like this unicorn thing,” James told reporters in a press conference. “Everybody has been a unicorn over the last few years but he’s more like an alien. I’ve never seen — no one has ever seen — anyone as tall as he is, but as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor.”
Sports Illustrated posted a profile on Wembanyama on Tuesday in which he admitted he liked the ‘alien’ label.
“I’m really glad he said that because I didn’t like to be called a unicorn,” Wembanyama said. “I like being called an alien, it’s just something not from this world. It’s really what I’m working to be — something unique and original.”
James knows first-hand what Wembanyama is going through as the far as the hype surrounding him before every playing an NBA game. The league’s all-time leading scorer was a can’t-miss prospect coming out of high school before being selected No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2003.
Wembanyama is averaging 22.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks a game this season in the LNB Pro A league — France’s top pro league. He is widely considered to be a player with ground-breaking talent that can instantly elevate whichever team he lands with.
As of now, the Rockets, Spurs, Pistons, and Hornets are shaping up to have the best chances at getting that top pick in the upcoming draft.