'Incredible Day': Spurs GM on Winning Draft Lottery, Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes

Victor Wembanyama is coming to the San Antonio Spurs after the franchise won the NBA Draft Lottery.

Jeremy Brener | May 17, 2023

'Incredible Day': Spurs GM on Winning Draft Lottery, Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes /

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The San Antonio Spurs organization is ready to embark on the next chapter of the franchise after winning Tuesday night's draft lottery ... a day that could go down in immortality if all goes well.

"Just an incredible day," Spurs general manager Brian Wright said Tuesday, via ESPN. "For the franchise. For the fans. For the entire organization. We're incredibly excited about the future."

Winning the draft lottery in any year is historic for any team, but the Spurs picked a good time to win, especially with Victor Wembanyama at the top of this year's rookie class.

Wembanyama is all that and a bag of chips. At 7-4, he is one of the tallest players in the league coming in, but he also has a ton of skill as a perimeter shooter and overall game-changer.

This season, Wembanyama has played 33 games for Metropolitans 92 — a team within France's LNB-A professional league — and averaged 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.5 assists. He is an all-around player with extreme reach on boards and the ability to knock down shots.

Despite all of his on-court abilities, Wright mentions the attributes that don't show up in the box score as part of why Wembanyama can be so special.

"People talk about generational talent, and they only think on-court skill, but it's bigger than that," Wright said. "His ability to be a great teammate, his ability to think the game, unique challenges, you see him doing things that you wouldn't even have guessed someone could do. His approach, his professionalism.

"When you use the word generational talent, it extends beyond your ability to put the ball in the basket. And he's unique in so many ways."

With his combination of superstar potential on the court and his approach to the game off of it, the Spurs could have their next great franchise player in San Antonio.

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Published May 17, 2023

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.