Projected top pick Victor Wembanyama officially declares for NBA draft

Victor Wembanyama, the projected No. 1 pick, officially declared for the 2023 NBA draft on Friday and has submitted paperwork to the league office, he said on ESPN's «NBA Today.»

«Declaring for the draft… it's something crazy I'm not realizing yet,» Wembanyama told ESPN. «I realized pretty young I wanted to play in the NBA but it becomes a reality more every day. I'm so lucky to have this dream within the reach of my hand.»

Wembanyama is the most anticipated prospect since LeBron James, making the NBA draft lottery on May 15 revealing which team gets the No. 1 pick one of the biggest nights in years for the NBA's non-playoff teams and the league as a whole.

Wembanyama told ESPN in January that «there is no wrong team,» when discussing the teams with the highest odds of winning the lottery and presumably selecting him first.

«I am not worried; there is no bad organization. I never tell myself I don't like to go there. Every organization is so careful about their players that there's no wrong destination.»

At 7-foot-5, with an 8-foot wingspan, Wembanyama will immediately be the tallest and longest player in the NBA, but also brings the skill set of a guard, regularly being tasked with bringing the ball up the court for his team, initiating offense and shooting 3-pointers from all over the floor. The timing, instincts and anticipation he shows defensively with his ability to cover ground fluidly and change the geometry of the game with his dimensions gives him game-changing potential on that end of the floor as well.

Wembanyama is in the midst of a historic season in France, averaging 21.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.1 blocks and 2.3 assists per game and leading the French league in virtually every statistical category despite