Inside The Spurs

Spurs WATCH: Did Victor Wembanyama Shade Rival During NBA Draft Lottery?

Victor Wembanyama celebrated when the Houston Rockets were revealed to have the No. 4 pick. What does that mean for the San Antonio Spurs?

Jeremy Brener

Spurs WATCH: Did Victor Wembanyama Shade Rival During NBA Draft Lottery?
Spurs WATCH: Did Victor Wembanyama Shade Rival During NBA Draft Lottery? /
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All eyes are on Victor Wembanyama with NBA Draft season in full swing.

ESPN had a camera on the likely No. 1 pick live in France to catch Wembanyama's reaction to the lottery results, which awarded the San Antonio Spurs the opportunity to select the French big man in next month's draft.

The draft lottery cut to commercial when it came down to the final four teams ... the Spurs, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets. Once the Rockets were revealed to have the No. 4 pick, Wembanyama flashed a smile and pumped his fist.

Could Wembanyama have had a strong disdain against being drafted by the Rockets? Potentially. Houston is under new leadership with former Spurs coach Ime Udoka running the ship ... but we cannot say for sure.

In all likelihood, Wembanyama was probably hoping specifically to be drafted by the Spurs, which has a rich history in France with Tony Parker, the president of Metropolitans 92, the team the future No. 1 pick currently plays for.

Regardless of the intent behind the celebration, it caught the ire of Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., who was the No. 3 pick in last year's draft.

Smith, a 6-10 forward with strong defensive upside, will likely have many battles with Wembanyama over the years in the new chapter of the Rockets vs. Spurs rivalry, which appears to have already started before the two even share the court together.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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