Victor Wembanyama has spent the last month getting acquainted with the NBA media machine. As soon as his French league season ended, he jumped into pre-Draft media mode, doing a number of sitdowns for TV and print as he tried to let NBA fans get to know him a bit better.
Then, after more than a month knowing he’d be going to San Antonio, he officially became a Spur and did more media upon his arrival in Texas. He’s since spent the last week in Las Vegas for Summer League, where he also got his first taste of the American gossip media scene after an incident outside a steakhouse where Spurs security slapped Britney Spears in the face as the pop star tried to say hi to the French hoops sensation. That led to him having to answer questions about that entire situation, which he followed up with a rough opening game of Summer League that only led to further media scrutiny.
On Sunday night, Wemby was able to bounce back from a rough first game with a 27-point, 11-rebound performance against the Blazers that was much more indicative of his skillset, but after as he sat on the podium and spoke to the media he was open about how it’s all been wearing on him.
“In the past month, I think basketball wasn’t even 50% of my schedule. I can’t stand it. I know it’s a special moment in my life, but I’m glad it’s over. I just wanna hoop.”
Victor Wembanyama on the media tour and being able to focus on basketball now.
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/E782jt5TFp
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 10, 2023
Like any good San Antonio Spurs star, Wembanyama understands the necessity of doing media but isn’t looking to stay in the spotlight off the court. When asked what comes next for him between Summer League and training camp, he noted his excitement for a few months where he gets to “disappear from the media.”
“As I’m not playing in the World Cup, I got 2-3 great months that are coming and they’re gonna change my life. I’m probably gonna disappear from the media for the next [few] months, honestly.”
Victor Wembanyama on what the rest of his offseason looks like
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/roK4O1z1o6
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 10, 2023
Wembanyama has said he wants to learn from the great Tim Duncan, and it seems he’s already taking some cues from the Hall of Famer as to how to live your life off the court outside of the tabloids and headlines. He learned the hard way this past week that even if you’re not directly involved in a scandal, your mere presence can thrust you into all kinds of conversation. That seemed to be enough for the young star, and he’ll happily head back to Texas and figure out his next steps before going off the map for a bit prior to the season.