Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama to Wear No. 1 Jersey After Being 1st Pick in 2023 NBA Draft
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Victor Wembanyama was No. 1 in the 2023 NBA draft. Now, he will be No. 1 on the San Antonio Spurs.
Wembanyama is set to wear No. 1 in Texas, per Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.
He will be the first Spurs player to don the digit since Lonnie Walker IV wore the jersey during the 2021-22 season.
Wembanyama wore No. 1 while dominating the French league with 21.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game last season. That’s why some fans at Barclays Center Thursday night already had custom-numbered Spurs jerseys ready for him to sign before the draft even took place.
Wembanyama said his jersey number is a reference to both Magic Johnson and his mentality.
“I don’t want to leave others behind or put anyone down, but I want to be the first, the number one,” Wembanyama told French news outlet Le Parisien in December (h/t the Mirror.)
After his selection at the top of the board, Wembanyama’s No. 1 jerseys were unveiled for sale.
Finally, one was handed to Wembanyama himself.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry lead the list of the top-selling jerseys in the NBA. Given the hype surrounding Wembanyama, there’s a potential a Spurs No. 1 jersey could be sitting near the top next season.