NBA
Why Didn’t Victor Wembanyama Attend the 2023 NBA Draft Combine?
Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he's a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie. Growing up loving Shaquille O'Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he's continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives. As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He's barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe's big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level. Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.
Get to know Joe Kozlowski betterPublished10 May 2023
At the risk of painting with a broad brush, most top-tier NBA players follow a similar road to the Association. After making a name for themselves in college, the prospects will declare for the draft. They’ll then attend the NBA Draft Combine and, when the big day finally arrives, join a professional team. Victor Wembanyama, however, did things a bit differently.
The biggest deviation is apparent: Wemby is French, so he’s been playing in his home country instead of attending an American college. But there was also a second shift. The big man, for better or worse, did not attend the 2023 combine.
What was behind that decision? Let’s break it down.
Victor Wembanyama took part in the LNB Pro A postseason rather than the NBA pre-draft process
One of the complaints that surfaces in modern sports is that athletes are just chasing a paycheck rather than showing loyalty to their team. And whether you think that’s a genuine issue or not, it’s tough to take issue with Victor Wembanyama’s actions.
Ahead of the 2023 NBA draft, everyone knows the teenager’s plans. He has officially entered the 2023 NBA Draft and seems like a lock to become the first overall pick.Based on that reality, you might assume that Wembanyama has his feet up and is counting the days until he starts raking in massive amounts of money. And while he probably has an eye toward the future, it’s not affecting the big man’s commitments.
Down the stretch in the LNB Pro A campaign, the young star didn’t hold himself out of the action; despite the risk of injury, he was taking the floor. Now that the playoffs are around the corner, things are reaching a new level.
Since the Metropolitans 92 remained in action through early June, Wembanyama took part part in their postseason campaign. That schedule means he didn’t attend the 2023 NBA Draft Combine.
If any prospect had the clout to skip the combine without consequences, it was Wembanyama
And while it might seem surprising that Victor Wembanyama didn’t be attending the 2023 NBA Draft Combine, his choice seems pretty logical. With all due respect to the pre-draft process, you aren’t going to learn anything new about the teenager this close to the big day. If you aren’t impressed by the teenager’s existing track record, it’s unlikely that a few uncontested jump shots on an empty court will change your mind.
The biggest potential sticking point could be medical examinations since Wemby did struggle with injuries during his early professional career and places some serious strain on his joints by virtue of being so tall. With that being said, though, the relevant teams will find a way to do their due diligence; this isn’t the first time a high-profile player has skipped the combine, and you aren’t going to let that absence stand in the way of selecting a franchise player.
And that, of course, came to pass. The San Antonio Spurs were undeterred and selected Wembanyama with the first overall selection of the 2023 NBA draft.
