Victor Wembanyama looks to continue hot streak as San Antonio Spurs face Toronto Raptors

Since the NBA season tipped off 10 days ago, basketball fans in Europe and the Middle East have been relying on next-day replays and highlight reels to catch up on the action the morning after it happened, given the time difference to the United States.

The world had been eagerly anticipating the debut of the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, the most exciting NBA rookie since LeBron James, and on Sunday, the French teen phenom will showcase his talent in Europe’s prime time slot at 9:30pm CET (12:30am UAE time) against the Toronto Raptors.

The Spurs enter the game with a 3-2 record for the season and are coming off an impressive two-game sweep of the Phoenix Suns.

The 19-year-old 2.24-metre Wembanyama exploded with a career-high 38 points in the Spurs’ win over Phoenix on Friday, which ties him at third-most by a rookie in Spurs history.

Just five games into this new campaign, Wembanyama is already shaping up to be a stellar four-quarter player, having combined for 39 points in the final frame of his first five games, shooting 15-for-19.

“It’s a requirement, if we’re being ambitious,” Wembanyama said on Friday of his fourth-quarter heroics early in the season.

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich has worked with a host of top talent since he took over the reins in San Antonio in 1996 and believes Wembanyama has what it takes to become the superstar everyone expects him to be.

“The first thing I would say is that his parents did a very good job. He's one of the most mature 19-year-olds I've ever been around. His character is incredible,” Popovich told reporters ahead of Sunday’s game, which is part of the NBA Sundays Primetime initiative.

“His view of the world is mature. He understands who he is. He feels comfortable in