No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama won't have to wait long to experience what it's like to play in front of a sold-out NBA crowd. The NBA announced that tickets for the opening night of Summer League in Las Vegas are completely sold out in anticipation of Wembanyama making his debut for the San Antonio Spurs.
Wembanyama and the Spurs are slated to play against No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. Two days later, on July 9, the Spurs will square off against the Portland Trail Blazers, who used the third pick in the draft to select highly-touted guard Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite. This game could potentially provide us with the first matchup between Wembanyama and Henderson since an exhibition game in Las Vegas last fall.
The Spurs also participated in the California Classic Summer League in Sacramento, but Wembanyama didn't play. It also remains to be seen how much he'll actually play in Vegas, as he's fresh off of his season with Metropolitans 92 in France, and the Spurs would obviously like him to be relatively fresh when the start of the season rolls around. Wembanyama has already decided to skip the FIBA World Cup in order to prepare for his first season in the NBA.
"I've decided to dedicate this summer to preparing my body for the many events awaiting it in the coming years," Wembanyama said. "This meant skipping the World Cup. It was a difficult decision, and one that required the advice of many people. But I sincerely believe it's the best one for the French team and myself... I've never been able to enjoy a summer with several months of development for my body. For this new phase of my life, it's essential. The Spurs staff are ready to make this summer profitable. We can't afford for it to be wasted time."
Wembanyama is the most highly-hyped prospect in recent memory, and the demand to witness him is obviously sky-high. Luckily, we won't have to wait too much longer to see him out on an NBA court.
