Why the Spurs are a perfect match for French prodigy Victor Wembanyama

French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama is officially joining the San Antonio Spurs after being drafted No. 1 overall on Thursday.

Hailing from French basketball club Metropolitans 92, the 19-year-old player, who was just named Most Valuable Player in the French LNB league, couldn't have hoped for a better club to call home.

With the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs select Victor Wembanyama!@vicw_32 | #NBADraft | @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/vQqVmr9kk5

"San Antonio … [comes with] a history and a culture of winning like none other," Wembanyama told Qatar-based sports channel beIN Sports last month, referring to the five-time NBA champions whose past icons include Frenchman Tony Parker.

The San Antonio Spurs have demonstrated over the past thirty years that they are one of the best teams of the North American basketball league.

In the NBA, the league's worst-performing teams get first picks in the draft, which allows them access to the best young basketball players.

With the second-worst record this past season (20 wins to 62 losses), the San Antonio Spurs won first pick after winning the May 16 draft lottery.

But unlike other teams also granted top spots in the draft, San Antonio boast an impressive record, having brought home NBA titles in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.

The Texan club has also participated in the playoffs – the championship finals – for twenty-two consecutive years between 1998 and 2019, an NBA record (shared with the Philadelphia 76ers of the 1950s and 1960s).

"Normally, there are cycles in the NBA with good periods that last a few years, followed by periods of rebuilding, so to stay twenty-two consecutive seasons in the playoffs, with the goal of winning the title every