NBA Tim Duncan and Victor WembanyamaNBA (DR)

Over the years and particularly since Gregg Popovich took office, San Antonio has regularly demonstrated a lot of flair in the draft. Living legend of the franchise, David Robison was also captivated by the arrival of a player in particular, as he recently confided.

Certainly, the Spurs are not winning many matches this season (5 wins for 29 losses, last in the Western Conference). To tell the truth, it seems unlikely that this situation will change in the coming year… however, Texans can generally remain optimistic. Indeed, it is always easy to believe in better days when you can already count a franchise player in your ranks.

Drafted in first position this summer, Victor Wembanyama necessarily embodies the renewal of the franchise. Author of nearly 19 points, 10 rebounds and more than three blocks per game, the Frenchman shows some clumsiness when shooting but for the rest, it is more than encouraging regarding the future of the Éperons. With any luck, he will follow in the footsteps of two of his illustrious elders, Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

David Robinson captivated by the arrival of Tim Duncan in 1997

These two are the only other players selected with the first pick by the franchise and each time, they have become legends. It was especially Duncan who changed everything when he arrived in 1997, when the Spurs had been struggling to get far in the playoffs for a while and the previous campaign had been ruined by Robinson’s injury. The Admiral was particularly delighted with his draft, as he recently confided:

I was on my knees saying, “Thank you, Lord.” Oh my God. Thank you very much… This child is so calm. He is incredible (…) We had played against him the previous year, I think it was in 1996. We had played with the Olympic team. We played a group of college stars, and he played against me, Shaq and Hakeem, and he scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and made it look easy for him. I said to myself, “This kid…”

When you look at the Big Fundamental’s production during his first year as a pro, it’s hard not to share the Hall of Famer’s sentiment. It’s simple, Tim Duncan absolutely broke everything during the 1997-98 financial year during which he was Rookie of the Year. 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.5 blocks on average, an All-Star Game and All-NBA Defensive Team selection, 36 more victories for San Antonio…

In these conditions, no wonder Robinson was delighted with the arrival of his young teammate. And to think that originally, the great Timmy was heading towards a career in swimming, before Hurricane Hugo devastated the nautical facilities on the Virgin Islands in 1989… A tragedy which pushed him to turn towards the orange ball, with the success that we now know.

Before Victor Wembanyama, Tim Duncan and David Robinson were the only two other players to be drafted first overall by the Spurs. We wish the former Mets that his elders could give a similar speech about him as the Admiral on the Big Fundamental, in a few years.