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Victor Wembanyama Rumors
So give us a bit of a behind the scenes look if you can. What's the rating system like? How do you guys go about putting together ratings? Ronnie 2K: Yeah, there's 30 some-odd mini ratings and mini attributes that get cooked into a formula, and it's based purely on performance on the court. In some cases, it's based on, like the young guys, right? We don't have a ton of sample information of them playing against other NBA people. So their's can kind of dramatically increase or decrease based on performance as you would expect and then the people that have been in the league for 10 or 15 years. It's a little bit more sticky, right? Like they're rating is kind of what you would expect. LeBron and Steph. I think they're both down one point from last year. People like Giannis and Jokic have stayed about the same. You would expect that, but like somebody like Cade Cunningham, whose in year three or four and missed a good chunk of the early parts in his career just jumped up six points. [Victor Wembanyama] hen we jumped up six points, so there's a lot of people that are going to grow.
Wemby, of course, hasn't played in game conditions since February, when his All-Star sophomore season in San Antonio came to an abrupt end due to a blood clot. Yet I'm told he played in some recent fullcourt runs at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and, just so you know, is said to have looked quite stellar.
One thing we don’t know about Wemby? Sandro Mamukelashvili: One thing we don’t know about Wemby? Oh — he likes Georgian food. A lot. I took him to a Georgian restaurant in New York, and since then, he’s been there three times by himself. He always sends me a selfie with Georgian cheese bread.
Michael Scotto: Just In: The San Antonio Spurs are hiring Tim Martin as an assistant coach, league sources told @hoopshype. Martin has trained with several NBA stars, including Victor Wembanyama, Tyrese Maxey, Trae Young, and others. pic.x.com/7avOeAyN5c
As part of the NBA’s continued push into global markets, the league will collaborate with new partner Amazon to broadcast eight Saturday afternoon games that will air in primetime overseas, it was revealed today. With the league in serious talks with stakeholders, club teams and banks over a proposed NBA Europe, the idea is to keep flooding that continent with programming. The eight games will purposely feature international stars such as Victor Wembanyama, whose Spurs will play in four of the Saturday matinees. “All intentional,” said Jeff Kaiser, Prime Video’s head of U.S. sports programming. “…We’re an NBA global partner. Our games will be distributed worldwide this season." One of the key metrics that drew the NBA to Amazon Prime Video -- resulting in an 11-year, annual $1.9B package -- was its global capability. The network is available in more than 240 countries and territories, and, when negotiating the deal, sources have repeatedly said Prime Video’s reach gave the streaming platform a significant advantage over Turner.
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NBA executives have traditionally seen Europe, the Middle East and Africa as its most “time-zone challenged regions” and, for the past 13 consecutive seasons, have scheduled marquee weekend Eastern Time day games with those markets in mind. This year, the regular season will feature 88 overall games that will air in primetime in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) -- not just via Prime Video, but through all NBA media partners such as ABC/ESPN, NBC and NBA League Pass. Executives have said it is simpler to air NBA games in Asia, where a typical NBA night game can be seen in the morning there. But, elsewhere globally, the earlier U.S. start times are a must for ratings and exposure, considering the league sees superior numbers in France, for instance, when Wembanyama plays. Or in Greece when Giannis Antetokounmpo plays.
Moussa Diabate won't play Eurobasket with France
Despite showing good efforts first in Spain and then in France to take down Sergio Scariolo’s national team on the road to FIBA EuroBasket 2025, the French national team is looking for reinforcements. Already knowing they couldn’t count on Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Mathias Lessort, and Moustapha Fall for the most anticipated event of the summer, Vincent Poirier will also be missed. In search of a new center to add to their rotation, head coach Frederic Fauthoux shared that they tried to involve the 23-year-old Moussa Diabate, currently in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets. However, as reported by Be Basket, the player declined the offer coming from the French national team after consulting with his entourage to “focus on his upcoming NBA season”.
Sources say Young's side has actually been resigned for some time to the prospect of seeing out the final guaranteed year on his current contract rather than securing an extension, like his current contract, worth in excess of $200 million. He'd then have to make a decision about his $49 million player option for 2026-27. There was a time, sources say, when Young's camp viewed him as an optimal potential playmaking partner for Victor Wembanyama. He has since moved to CAA but was repped at the time by Rich Paul, who appeared determined to place one of the All-Star guards then on the Klutch Sports roster — Young, Fox or Darius Garland — alongside Wembanyama.
Giannis Antetokounmpo collecting Victor Wembanyama memorabilia
During his appearance at the National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago on Saturday, Giannis Antetokounmpo shared that he’s looking to add Victor Wembanyama rookie cards and memorabilia to his personal collection, citing his lofty expectations for the 2023 No. 1 pick. “I want Wemby’s first rookie card ever,” Antetokounmpo said during an appearance alongside his brothers Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex on an eBay Live stream with Goldin Auctions founder Ken Goldin. “I think he’s gonna be one of the best players in the league in the next couple of years. I think he will have a very great career moving forward, so — maybe like a jersey, his first jersey or his first basketball shoe when he played his first NBA game, or the first ball that he played with and scored his very first point. You gotta go with Wemby, Steph (Curry), LeBron (James), MJ (Michael Jordan). Those are great investments.”
Antetokounmpo has a sizable collection of his own trading cards, which he has previously shown off on social media. On Saturday, he refused to divulge exactly how many of his own “logoman” cards — which include the NBA logo patch from a jersey — he owns. His most valuable card is his 2013-14 Panini National Treasures autographed rookie logoman, which sold for $1.8 million in 2020. In addition to sharing his belief in Wembanyama’s future, Antetokounmpo also explained why his autograph has changed since his rookie season. He started by signing his full name until he realized how difficult that would become over the course of what he hoped would be a long career, so he shortened his signature to just his initials.
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Presenting a tournament featuring basketball and chess was a first, and Victor Wembanyama also confirmed a second Hoop Gambit in his hometown of Le Chesnay. The recent event paired chess with one-on-one and three-on-three basketball competitions, designed by Wemby for the local community.
Guerschon Yabusele on Victor Wembanyama: The first time I heard of him in France he was really young. He was not even a pro yet, but he was this guy that was so tall. The only thing that I was worried about it was he was really skinny. So, I was like, I know he's going to put on some muscle and I was like, when he's going to come to league, they're going to change his body. This is not going to stay like this. So, I kind of knew this was going coming, but I was like, "Okay, he's really really skinny, you know?" But what impressed me was the skills. I looked this guy and he's dribbling between the legs, jumping, shooting in one legs, doing this. I'm like, "Who who's this kid?" Like, who does that? Like, you you're just too tall to be doing all of that, you know?
Dylan Harper's pick-and-roll prowess and crafty, powerful style of play made him the choice for the Spurs, who have been optimizing for additional playmaking around Victor Wembanyama moving forward. Even if he winds up coming off the bench as a rookie, Harper projects as a foundational long-term player. "[Harper] has some [Manu] Ginobili to his offensive game," one Western Conference scout said. "If the 3-point shot ever becomes a true weapon [for him], he makes Fox expendable and gives San Antonio a nice trade asset."
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