By Gregg Popovich recently provided an unprecedented analogy for Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs head coach openly compared the 20-year-old youngster to his French Bordeaux wines. The comments caught the attention of the NBA community as the enigmatic nature of the veteran coach made headlines.
In the post-match conference of the latest Spurs win against the Brooklyn Nets, the 75-year-old expressed his thoughts. Upon shedding light on his longevity in the league, Coach Pop initially used Bordeaux wine as a reference for his answer. He then faced a counter question on whether his French wine collection was older than Wemby. The unanticipated query momentarily stunned Popovich. He soon smiled before responding, “All of my best wines are older than Victor [Wembanyama]”, as seen in Benjamin Moubeche’s X[Formerly Twitter] post.
His answer shed light on his applaudable wine collection as an enthusiast. It also hinted at how it might contain the likes of Médoc, Pomerol, and Saint-Emilion as each of these are aged between 15 and 30 years. Simultaneously, the comparison provided a glimpse into his close bond with the international rookie.
As per Sports Illustrated, a major contributor behind it might have been the attitude of Wemby, as Pop once declared, “He’s a wonderful guy to coach who loves to be coached. He can handle criticism and we’re working with all the fundamental, basic things. Footwork, pivoting, balance, all the things that a young player needs, and he’s jumped right in. Obviously, he’s better every month”.
This has certainly played its part in enhancing the gameplay of the 7ft 4″ sensation as he remains in contention for the 2024 ROTY award. His latest display against the Nets has added further volume to the conversation as the Frenchman registered a double-double. As per StatMuse, he registered 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 7 assists in 36 minutes to lead his team to a 122-115 victory.
Hence, the Spurs have undoubtedly found their reliable talismanic figure. Now it becomes their task to nurture this talent to set him on a path of greatness. With a proven track record, the fans hope for it to turn into a reality soon.
