San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama is unlike any other 20-year-old you’ve ever seen. Apart from being an unbridled basketball phenom, Wemby also acts like anything like the young men his age.
Take for instance the 7-foot-4 center’s decision to bluntly refuse an invitation to join hip-hop superstar Drake on stage during a concert. The reason why Wemby decided to do so, however, only proves just how this dude is just built different.
Former NBA player turned broadcaster JJ Redick was the one who spilled the beans on Wembanyama’s Drake encounter. In a recent appearance on the podcast 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero, Redick revealed that Wemby refused to join the multi-Grammy Award-winning rapper on stage because his teammates did not get an invite:
“There was a Drake concert in Austin and he got asked to come up on stage because Drake was doing that with a bunch of NBA guys this offseason,” Redick said (h/t Bryan Kalbrosky of USA TODAY Sports). “And Wemby was like: Can my teammates come up on stage with me? Because they are going to be at the concert with me. And Drake’s camp was like: No. And he’s like: Then I don’t want to do it … What 19-year-old kid doesn’t want to go up on stage with Drake?”
As it turns out, it’s always the team first for Wemby — regardless if it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share the stage with one of the biggest names in the music industry.
While Wemby does enjoy the occasional rap concert, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner is apparently not a fan of partying. It’s not as if he’s never attended a party in his life, but according to Wemby, these things just don’t rank highly on his list of priorities:
“I feel like I’m immune to the … distractions like partying, alcohol, drugs. Like, why would I ever do that? I don’t have nothing to compensate for,” he said (h/t HoopsHype on Twitter).
“[I feel like I'm immune to all the bad things] like distractions like partying, alcohol, drugs… Why would I ever do that?… I don't have nothing to compensate for."
— Victor Wembanyama ️
(via @ringernba / YT)pic.twitter.com/CoHgJ91Br8
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 18, 2024
Not only is this dude a generational talent, but he appears to already be in the right place mentally to potentially become one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball.
It’s quite scary, honestly.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!