Nike's plans for Victor Wembanyama explained after leaked LeBron James tribute
Victory Wembanyama is not yet on an NBA roster but the nailed-on number-one pick has already made a huge splash ahead of his imminent arrival with the San Antonio Spurs.
The Spurs were the lucky winners of Tuesday's Draft Lottery in Chicago with the ping-pong balls landing in their favour, giving them the chance to select 7ft 5in French sensation Wembanyama with the first pick at Barclays Center next June.
The 19-year-old is rated as one of the best prospects to ever enter the league, on par or perhaps even better than Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James at the same stage of his development.
But Wembanyama is expected to be more than a transformative presence on the floor for the Spurs, who have missed the playoffs in the past four seasons and finished with a dismal 22-60 record in 2022/23.
Wembanyama's arrival as an NBA star is also sure to generate big business for the brands associated with him, including Nike, who have won the battle to supply the Frenchman's footwear and accessories.
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Nike has always used its stars as the face of its marketing efforts, with huge campaigns fronted by the likes of James and golf icon Tiger Woods among its most successful over the years, and Wembanyama is sure to be a big selling point for the brand leading into his rookie year.
Details of Nike's plans for Wembanyama have already been revealed by ESPN insider Brian Windhorst, who was in Paris to interview the player moments after the draft order was confirmed and he learned he will almost certainly be playing for the Spurs in the near future.
It seemed likely Wembanyama's branding would centre on an alien theme after James used that word to describe him in a Sports Illustrated profile earlier this year.
And the alien logo featured on hats doled out at Wembanyama's draft lottery party in the early hours of Wednesday morning in the French capital, with the tagline "Be unique every day".
Victor Wembanyama enters the NBA with huge expectations after shining in his native France.However, Windhorst says Nike's Wembanyama campaign will centre on a different theme: a supernova.
"There were people from Nike there, they passed out these really cool hats," he told The Hoop Collective about his trip to France.
"It says Wemby with an alien logo because LeBron, obviously, called him an alien. I am told, though, that is is not their marketing campaign.
"Their campaign will be built around him being a supernova. I don't know how that is designed but I'm sure Nike are working on it."
Wembanyama's sheer size coupled with a highly refined skillset with the basketball in his hands has made him the runaway top prospect heading into the NBA Draft in Brooklyn next month.
The teenager has been cutting his teeth with Metropolitans 92 in the top tier of French basketball, leading the league in points per game, rebounds and blocks.
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