San Antonio Spurs Select Victor Wembanyama With No. 1 Pick in 2023 NBA Draft

• The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
• He became the Spurs’ third No. 1 overall pick, joining David Robinson and Tim Duncan on the list
• Wembanyama played professional basketball in France before joining the NBA this year

The worst-kept secret in the NBA was finally revealed on Thursday night.

The San Antonio Spurs made it official, selecting Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

The French star was emotional as he went on stage to shake hands with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

There might be tears of joy in San Antonio, too, after the Spurs were able to get the teen phenom who is considered the most exciting NBA prospect since LeBron James.

There were roars from the crowd at AT&T Center – Wembanyama’s new home court – when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced just past 8 pm that the Spurs were on the clock.

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Wembanyama joins a young team in San Antonio that already includes Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Tre Jones, and Malaki Branham.

Wemby dominated in France

Wembanyama averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game last season, leading LNB Pro A in each category, per Reuters.

He helped Metropolitans 92 advance to the Finals before losing to AS Monaco in a three-game sweep.

The 7-foot-4 center made history last season, becoming the youngest player to capture the LNB Pro A Most Valuable Player award.

That wasn’t the only award he got, as he was also named the league’s Best Defender, Best Scorer, Best Young Player, and Best Blocker. The 19-year-old was also selected to the All-Pro A First Team.

Wembanyama joins Duncan and Robinson

The pressure now is on Wembanyama to lead the Spurs back to the promised land. San Antonio has missed the playoffs in each of the past four seasons and was a woeful 22-60 last campaign.

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He will look to follow in the footsteps of fellow No. 1 picks David Robinson and Tim Duncan, who led the Spurs to several championships during their stints with the franchise.

Robinson, who was selected first overall by the Spurs in the 1987 NBA Draft, won two titles with San Antonio in 1999 and 2003, per Sporting News.

Duncan, who was picked first by San Antonio in the 1997 NBA Draft, delivered five championships to the Spurs. He became the second player in NBA history to win a title in three different decades, lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014.

Wemby throws ceremonial first pitch

Sports Brief recently reported on Wembanyama throwing the first pitch at Yankee Stadium.

He rode the subway from Manhattan to the Bronx to get to the famous ballpark.

The teen phenom wore a throwback Joe DiMaggio jersey on his way to the Bronx Bombers’ home stadium.