Victor Wembanyama's biography: All the facts and details on the future number 1 pick

Victor Wembanyama's biography: All the facts and details on the future number 1 pick

Kenneth Mwenda
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:15 PM

Victor Wembanyama's biography is of keen interest to basketball fans, especially in the recent past. The French basketball player plays for Metropolitans 92 in the LNB Pro A. A power forward with great height, he is expected to go first overall in the 2023 NBA draft. Wembanyama is not just the most highly anticipated talent in the 2023 draft but also the most promising young athlete since LeBron James made his league debut nearly twenty years ago.

Victor Wembanyama's biography: All the facts and details on the future number 1 pick
Victor Wembanyama takes a shot during warm-up before an exhibition game against G League Ignite at The Dollar Loan Center on October 6, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. Photo: Steve Marcus
Source: Getty Images

The basketball player comes from a family of tall and athletic individuals. He is a physically challenging opponent because of his towering height, deadly shot-blocker, rim protector, and almost unstoppable perimeter shooter.

Profile summary

Full names

Victor Wembanyama

Date of birth

4 January 2004

Place of birth

Le Chesnay, France

Age

18 years

Parents

Felix Wembanyama and Elodie de Fautereau

Siblings

Eve and Oscar

Height

2.20 m (7 ft. 3 in)

Weight

95 kg (209 lb.)

Current club

Metropolitans 92

Jersey no.

No. 1

Playing position

Power forward / Center

Current league

LNB Pro A

Career awards

Pro A champion (2022) and two times Pro A Best Young Player (2021, 2022)

National Medals

FIBA Under-19 World Cup (silver medal) and FIBA U16 European Championship ( silver medal )

Former clubs

Nanterre 92 and ASVEL

Victor Wembanyama's biography

Felix Wembanyama, Victor's father, is of DR Congolese ancestry, and Elodie de Fautereau is his mother. He has two siblings, both of who play sports. His younger brother, Oscar, is 12 years old and has an older sister named Eve.

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Victor Wembanyamas' physical attributes

Victor stands 2.21 meters tall and has an 8-foot wingspan. His listed weight is 95 kg, and his body size is on the skinny side.

Victor Wembanyama's height
Rudy Gobert (L) poses next to Victor Wembanyama at The Dollar Loan Center on October 6, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. Photo: Steve Marcus
Source: Getty Images

Where is Victor Wembanyama from?

Although his father has a Congolese descent, his mother is not. Wembanyama was born on January 4 2004, in France, thus giving him French nationality. He also happens to have mixed ethnicity as a result of his father's descent.

Victor Wembanyama's parents' career and height

Elodie de Fautereau, Victor Wembanyama's mother, and his father, are both former athletes. His mother is 1.9 m (6 ft. 2 in) tall and used to play basketball.

Wembanyama's father is a former triple jump champion who stands at 2 meters (6 feet 5 inches) tall. His mother is now a youth basketball coach.

Victor's early life and youth career

Victor Wembanyama's nationality
Victor Wembanyama (#1) of Metropolitans 92 (R) being guarded by Leonard Miller #11 of G League Ignite at The Dollar Loan Center on October 6, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada. Photo by Steve Marcus
Source: Getty Images

His mother tutored him while he was between the ages of four and five. He also grew up learning judo and playing football as a goalkeeper. He started his professional career at Entente Le Chesnay Versailles, his neighbourhood club, and then, at the age of eleven, he joined Nanterre 92's youth program. His parents turned down offers from prestigious teams like ASVEL and FC Barcelona.

In the third-place game of the Maricopa del Rey, an under-14 tournament in Spain, he recorded 16 points and 15 rebounds while on loan to FC Barcelona in 2018. Wembanyama started playing with Espoirs Nanterre in the LNB Espoirs, the French under-21 league, in the 2019–20 campaign.

Victor Wembanyama's professional career

Victor Wembanyama draft
Victor Wembanyama poses during the 2021/2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Media Day of LDLC Asvel Villeurbanne at The Astroballe on September 13, 2021 in Villeurbanne, France. Photo: Romain Biard
Source: Getty Images

Victor Wembanyama played on numerous junior teams before his career gained notoriety. Since, he has played for numerous well-known European clubs. His professional career has been a transition for him.

1. Nanterre 92 (2019–2021)

He made his professional debut for Nanterre 92 on October 29, 2019, playing 31 seconds in a EuroCup match against Brescia. He entered the EuroCup as the second-youngest player, after Stefan Petkovi, at 15 years, nine months, and 25 days. After residing there since he was ten, he decided to leave Nanterre after the 2020–2021 season.

2. ASVEL (2021–2022)

Wembanyama committed to a three-year deal with ASVEL of the Pro A and the EuroLeague on June 29, 2021. Wembanyama received the LNB Pro A Best Young Player honour for the second consecutive year on May 18, 2022. He had a muscular injury on June 3rd, that prevented him from playing in the remaining Pro A playoff games, causing him to terminate his contract with ASVEL after the campaign.

3. Metropolitans 92 (2022–present)

He committed to a two-year deal with Metropolitans 92 of the Pro A on June 30, 2022. He has performed admirably since making his league debut and has contributed to the squad with several points and rebounds. Sports journalists and NBA players praised Wembanyama's talent and potential after his performance on American territory attracted media attention.

Wembanyama's national team career and stats

Victor Wembanyama
Metropolitan 92's forward Victor Wembanyama (R) protects the ball with Blois' US power forward Tyren Johnson during a basketball match at the Palais des Sports. Photo: Emmanuel DUNAND
Source: Getty Images

Like other patriotic athletes, Victor Wembenyama has participated in international competitions on various occasions. He has played for both junior and senior sides.

1. Junior national team

At the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Udine, Italy, Wembanyama represented France. Wembanyama led France to a silver medal and was named to the tournament team with his nine points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.3 blocks per game on average.

He participated in the Latvia 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup. Wembanyama broke the FIBA record for blocks per game in a single tournament.

2. Senior national team

Wembanyama was listed on the France national team's initial 17-player roster for EuroBasket 2022. However, he was ruled out a month beforehand due to an injury. He was chosen once again for the November World Cup qualifiers, where he is anticipated to make his senior squad debut.

The major career achievements of Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama's position
French basketball player Victor Wembanyama attends the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at Parc des Princes stadium on October 16, 2022 in Paris. Photo: Jean Catuffe
Source: Getty Images

Wembanyama has achieved incredible wins in his young basketball career and has also won various awards. Some of the great awards are listed below.

  • Pro A champion (2022)
  • Pro A Best Young Player (2021)
  • Pro A Best Young Player (2022)

Are Wembanyama's siblings also keen on sports?

Wembanyama's siblings are active athletes, making his family a sporty family. Eve Wembanyama, Victor's older sister, is a professional basketball player.

At the 2017 FIBA U16 Women's European Championship in France, Eve and France won the gold medal. Oscar, Victor's younger brother, is a handball enthusiast, who is is 12 years old.

Victor Wembanyama's draft notes

His extraordinary size, length, mobility, and exceptional skill level make him one of the most intriguing scouting possibilities. He looms above everyone else on the court and has an absurd 8-0 wingspan. He is quite skinny and slender, incredibly talented with the ball in his hands, and excellent coordination.

Social media presence

Victor Wembanyama is one of the young NBA players with a very high number of followers on social media platforms. He frequently shares his images on his Instagram and Twitter pages.

Victor Wembanyama's biography will be one of the most thrilling in years to come. He is a good shooter with excellent ball-handling skills. Defensively, he is also known for his shot-blocking instincts.

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Authors
Kenneth Mwenda photo
Kenneth Mwenda
Kenneth Mwenda is a business and sports writer with over five years of experience. At Sportsbrief, he contributes to writing biographies and listicles.