‘I’m so lucky’: Once in a generation Wembanyama prepares for NBA draft

Victor Wembanyama’s NBA story is now underway. The NBA draft – one that Wembanyama’s towering shadow has hung over for months, blocking much of what is usually part of the process – is on Thursday night, and he will be selected No 1 overall by the San Antonio Spurs.

“Ever since I knew about the draft, exactly how it worked, I wanted to be first,” Wembanyama said on Wednesday. “I think I started to realize I could be a professional basketball player at the age of 12. Tomorrow, something’s going to happen, something that I’ve been thinking [about] for years and years, I can’t really describe how I feel right now. I just know I’m going to have trouble sleeping tonight, for sure.”

There has been no debate about who the Spurs should take with the No 1 pick, no discussion of which player might be a better fit, no real attempts to raise any red flags about the presumed selection.

When a player like Wembanyama comes along – and maybe none ever has – there’s no real reason to drum up any drama. The Spurs are not going to pass up someone who is listed at 7ft 4in but has the skills of a player much smaller.

The decision is certain, but not official until Commissioner Adam Silver says Wembanyama’s name on Thursday night. And Wembanyama playfully corrected a reporter in New York who welcomed him to San Antonio.

“Not there yet,” Wembanyama said. “But thank you.”

The 19-year-old from France has been called the best prospect since LeBron James came out of high school 20 years ago, perhaps with some physical gifts that even the NBA’s career scoring leader didn’t possess.

Expectations from the outside world are sky-high. Wembanyama insists that won’t bother him.

“I don’t let all this stuff get into my head,” Wembanyama said. “I’ve got