Even if Victor Wembanyama didn’t have any preferences for the NBA draft lottery’s results, it seems that the star prospect at least had some reactions.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, who covered the Wembanyama sweepstakes from France and later recorded an episode of the “Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective Show,” Wembanyama — and the room around him — showed some emotion when the Mavericks and Trail Blazers appeared on the screen during the lottery broadcast.
Neither team ended up receiving the No. 1 overall pick, though, as the Spurs emerged as the NBA Draft lottery winners with the right to select Wembanyama, who will enter the NBA as one of the most anticipated prospects in years.
It wasn’t much of a reaction, Windhorst said, but for Dallas, Wembanyama “raised his eyebrows and gave like a look.”
For Portland, there was “discussion in the room” when the Trail Blazers — and the potential to play alongside Damian Lillard, if the star returns, and assistant general manager Mike Schmitz — advanced into the top four.
“Victor definitely reacted when Dallas came up because obviously, he knew that playing with Luka Doncic would be fascinating,” Windhorst said.
Schmitz has known the Wembanyama family for around five years, according to Windhorst, who was joined by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the lottery results from the night before that truly centered around the 7-foot-4 prospect from France.
“I’m not saying that there was a preference in Portland, just to be clear, but when Portland made the top four, that was a discussion in the room,” Windhurst said on the podcast, and he also added context about how Wembanyama didn’t react when teams such as the Pelicans, Wizards and Raptors appeared on the screen.
The 19-year-old Wembanyama, who ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski labeled “maybe the greatest prospect in the history of team sports,” will instead join Gregg Popovich and the Spurs — who missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
Tony Parker and Boris Diaw previously starred for the Spurs as NBA players from France, and if the Spurs follow through on what appears to be an obvious choice at No. 1 overall, Wembanyama will have the chance to add to his country’s legacy within the franchise.
“I can’t really describe it, it’s just my heart is beating,” Wembanyama said in an interview with ESPN following the lottery. “I’ve got everyone I love, everyone I know around me. It’s a really special moment I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”
That, in the end, served as Wembanyama’s ultimate reaction Tuesday night.