Victor Wembanyama attended All-Star weekend in Indianapolis last year as a major attraction. The San Antonio star participated in the league’s Tech Summit, played in the Rising Stars event, and took part in the Skills Challenge.
He left the event with a clear objective.
“Next year, hopefully, the big game,” Wembanyama said.
That time has arrived. The big game — or games — are here.
Wembanyama, as expected, is a first-time All-Star who will compete in the NBA’s new All-Star mini-tournament this Sunday in San Francisco. He’ll join these seven players: Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, Atlanta’s Trae Young, and another first-timer, Houston’s Alperen Sengun.
Wembanyama’s selection seemed almost guaranteed. The reigning rookie of the year has become a global sensation. The NBA mentions that Wembanyama’s social media content is among the most viewed of all players, and his jersey ranks No. 5 in global sales.
“I’ve been talking to a few people about a moment he had when he was in New York,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “He played the Knicks on Christmas Day and then played the Brooklyn Nets a few days later. He spent some time in New York, and Victor, who plays chess, went to a famous park, Washington Square Park, and set up his chessboard and started playing games. Within a few days, about 100 million people saw that on social media.”
“It just shows the popularity of Victor and the huge interest in the lifestyles and hobbies of players. That was remarkable.”
This year, six rookies have made the All-Star game: Wembanyama, Sengun, Miami’s Tyler Herro, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, and Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams. Among them, Wembanyama is the youngest (just turned 21), the tallest (officially 7-foot-3), and will likely attract the most attention in San Francisco this weekend.
“I think that was one of the most active days in our group chat since the summer when Vic made the All-Star Game,” Spurs forward Harrison Barnes said. “It’s a testament to who he is. He works incredibly hard. He gets so much attention, but he always tries to keep the focus on the team and not on himself.”
Out of the six rookies, Herro is the oldest and the most experienced in the NBA. He’s averaging 23.5 points this season.
Cade Cunningham in the 2nd half“I’m truly proud of him because a lot of media has criticized him,” Heat captain Bam Adebayo said. “His name has been thrown in trade rumors, people said he’s not good enough, that he can’t do certain things. It’s a real testament to him.”
For Williams, the All-Star appearance is like a homecoming. The Thunder guard played college basketball at Santa Clara, which is about an hour from Chase Center, where he’ll play on Sunday night.
“What am I most excited about? Honestly, I haven’t seen my parents in a while, so I’m excited to see them. I’ll be so close to my school, so I think it’ll be cool. I’ll see people I haven’t seen in a while.”
Cunningham is leading one of the NBA’s surprise teams this season. The Pistons, who struggled last year, are now in the playoff race, with Cunningham’s 25.4 points per game being a key reason for the turnaround.
“It feels amazing. It’s hard to put into words,” Cunningham said. “There’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of wins, losses, lessons, everything leading up to this moment. I’m just grateful for it.”
Sengun is part of the Rockets’ revival. While they missed the playoffs last year, they are now in position to secure home-court advantage for Round 1 in a competitive Western Conference.
“Thank you to my team, my country, the city of Houston, and all the fans for believing in me,” Sengun said. “This is just the beginning.”
Mobley’s All-Star selection highlights the value of defense and rebounding in the NBA. He is a key player for Cleveland, which enters the break with the best record in the Eastern Conference, tied with Oklahoma City for the best record in the NBA.
“I worked really hard to get to this point,” Mobley said. “I hope there’s more to come.”
