Victor Wembanyama: My Goal Is to Be ‘Like Something You’ve Never Seen’

Highly-touted NBA prospect Victor Wembanyama draws inspiration from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant, but his goal isn’t to become the next version of those players.

Instead, Wembanyama wants to carve out his own path and be something completely different, he said in an interview with Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press:

“I’m gonna tell you something that’s been going on in my life, like for my whole life, since I’ve been a kid, even before I played basketball. I’ve always tried to do [something] different. I’m not even talking about sports, whatever. Any field, I’m always trying to be original, something original, something one of one, something that’s never been done before. And this is really how it worked in my life. I don’t know where it comes from. I think I was born with it. I’ve always been trying to be original. Unique, that’s the word.”

He added: “My goal is to be like something you’ve never seen.”

The 18-year-old power forward could be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft. He is 7-foot-2, has a wingspan of nearly eight feet and has a beautiful three-point shot. In addition, the Frenchman has great vision, can run the floor and is highly creative.

He told Reynolds he’s prepared to handle the hype that’s already building around him.

“I was built for this, I guess,” Wembanyama said. “All of what happens to me, I expected for myself. So it’s just a checklist of expectations. I’m not surprised by what’s happening to me. And yeah, this is happening, this is how I can manage it and I think I managed it well.”

Whichever team lands the No. 1 overall pick is going to get extremely lucky, though Scoot Henderson could be a great consolation prize with the No. 2 overall selection.