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He's the most unique talent to ever step foot in the NBA. A 7 foot4 Phenom with an 8ft wingspan and an unprecedented set of skills you have to see to believe. At just 22 years old, he may already be the best player on the planet. This is the story behind Victor Webman. This episode of The Story Behind is brought to you by Pays. Checkout offered by banks and credit unions. When you're shopping online, Pays makes checking out easy. Your eligible debit and credit cards appear in one place, ready to use. And because Pays is offered by banks and credit unions, there's added security at checkout. Your actual card number isn't shared with merchants. You simply sign in, confirm, and you're ready to go.
Pays, it checks out. So, head to pay.com to learn more. Now, let's get back to today's story. Victor Nonga Webmanyama Deottoro Vassel was born January 4th, 2004 in Lucha, France, roughly 10 miles west of Paris. His mother, Elodi, was a 6'3 pro basketball player and coach who herself was the product of two former ballers. While Victor's father, Felix, was a 6'6 track and field star. Those inherited advantages served young Victor well across a variety of youth sports. But the youngster eventually favored basketball over judo and soccer where he played as a goalkeeper. The rapidly growing Webyama was a natural on the court. By age nine, he was helping Ali
coach kids his own age. And as a nearly 6' 10year-old, he was spotted by a youth coach for Nantair, one of France's oldest professional clubs. The coach initially mistook the young giant for a coach himself. Upon realizing that Webyama was merely a player in the under 11 tournament, coach Michelard immediately called the technical director for Nantair's youth program. With that, the wheels were in motion for one of basketball's most meteoric rises. When moved to Nantair, where he ate, slept, and breathed basketball at the club's deacto boarding school. there. Rather than focus on the facets of the game traditionally deemed most important for big men, women was encouraged to be himself, to play the point, to cross
guys up, to launch outrageous threes. That freedom combined with a tireless work ethic and continued physical growth allowed Webyama to blossom into a tantalizing prospect. But even as his fame increased, Webyama possessed a level of maturity, poise, and wisdom beyond his years. He poured as much effort into English as he did basketball because, as the youngster explained to ESPN in 2023, basketball people speak English. After being loaned to Barcelona for a U14 tournament, he rejected an offer to stay with one of the most famous sports clubs in the world because the Catalan club's coaches wouldn't give him honest criticism. I like to progress and I need to challenge myself. So yes, I like to be told things
clearly, even if it can be unpleasant to hear, when explained in a 2022 interview with L Parisen. The young star made his pro debut with Nantair at just 15 years old, becoming the second youngest player to suit up for a Euro Cup game. In his age 16 season, he was named the best young player in France's top pro league, an honor he would be given three years in a row. However, Wemanyama's rise wasn't without roadblocks. A devastating loss in the final of the 2021 under19 World Cup seemed to light a fire in the 7-footer with the MVP of that tournament, American big man Chad Holgrren reportedly drawing WebM's eye. Around this time, a viral video emerged of the 16-year-old Wmanyama repeatedly scoring on fellow Frenchman
and multipletime NBA defensive player of the year Rudy Gobear in a two-on- mania had spread far beyond France's borders with NBA scouts and executives becoming enamored with the teenage prodigy. He had outgrown Nantair. The 17-year-old took his talents to Asfeld, the famous Tony Parker Run Club where the Hall of Fame guard promised to build around the young big man. But after one injuryplayed campaign, Wem left Asfeld for Metropolitans 92, where he would have the opportunity to be coached by longtime French national team boss Vincent Cole. By then, Webyama had already emerged as the consensus number one pick in the 2023 NBA draft.
His 2022 23 campaign only reinforced that status. As a teenager playing against grown men in one of Europe's best domestic leagues, Wemanyama averaged roughly 22 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks, leading the entire league in scoring, rebounds, blocks, and minutes per game. He also made his mark state side across a pair of nationally televised games against G-League Ignite, an NBA run club that featured multiple future NBAers. Weama poured in 73 points. The NBA then streamed every single Nets 92 game on its app for the rest of the season, allowing fans of the association a chance to watch the Phenom, who would soon come to terrorize their favorite teams. LeBron James described him as an alien. Steph Curry called him a 2K
creative player cheat code. By the timeama was draft eligible in 2023, ESPN's Adrien Wjerowski dubbed him maybe the greatest prospect in the history of team sports. After a tanktastic season that saw several NBA teams try to maximize their draft lottery odds, the San Antonio Spurs walked away with the number one overall pick, giving the franchise of Robinson and Duncan, not to mention Parker, Genobbi, and Leonard, the chance to draft another transcendent big man. But even among generational talents, Wemi wasn't just another all-time big. He represented the final product after decades worth of 7-footer evolution.
Unicorn bigs like Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nitzky, Kevin Durant, Nicole Joic, Jiannis Tennako, and Chris Porzingis all walked so Webyama could run. Scratch that. Soar Wmanyama cruised to a unanimous rookie of the year selection after a breathtaking debut season. He scored 21 points in the second game of his career and had a 38 and 10 game in only his fifth contest. He had his first triple double less than halfway through the year and recorded a triple double with blocks in a February win at Toronto. 11 days later, the 20-year-old rookie recorded the NBA's first 5x5 performance in 5 years, doing so in fewer minutes than any other player ever had. The rebuilding Spurs sputtered to 60 losses by design, but it was obvious
the foundation for San Antonio's next championship team had been laid. Romanyama's rookie season saw him average 21.4 four points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, a league leading 3.6 blocks, and 1.2 steals in less than 30 minutes per game. As the first rookie since Manuke Bowl to lead the league in blocks, WBY finished runner up to go in defensive player of the year voting and became the first rookie to be named first team all defense. The legend only grew during the summer of 2024 when led France to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, cementing his status as a national hero and international icon on a French team littered with NBA talent. Webby led France in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks, and steals.
Anyone who had doubted the hype around Webyama quickly understood what they were dealing with. A oneofone talent who would dominate the NBA for years to come. provided he stayed healthy. That last caveat was a big one given the checkered injury history of similarlysized players. However, it was a much scarier health issue that brought about a premature end to Wemanyama's second season and first all-star campaign as the 21-year-old was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Perhaps it was the sobering reminder of how fleeting life and success are. Or perhaps it was just a naturally curious youngster's desire to improve himself. But whatever inspired it, a fully recovered Wanyama opted to spend some of his 2025
offseason training with Shaolin monks in China. He shaved his head, took part in martial arts training, endured marathon meditation sessions, and embarked on grueling tests of both physical and mental strength. For example, Wanyyama dribbled a ball along a treacherous mountain trail that saw him climb 2500 ft. By the time the 202526 season tipped off, Webyama was fitter, stronger, and more focused than ever. His team was also more prepared to win as losing seasons had delivered San Antonio prospects like Stfan Castle and Dylan Harper in addition to former All-Star De'aran Fox. With Womenyama leading the way to the tune of 25 points, 11 and a half rebounds, and a league leading 3.1 blocks per game, and
San Antonio's two-way depth filling the gaps around him, the Spurs exploded for 62 wins, a 28- win improvement year-over-year. When Benyama became the first unanimous defensive player of the year in NBA history and earned all NBA first team honors, a projected play-in team when the season tipped off, the Spurs secured the Western Conference's number two seed, then cruised past Portland and Minnesota to set up an all-time matchup with the defending champion Thunder and two-time reigning MVP Shay Gilas Alexander. Not that WBY needed the motivation, but Homegrren suiting up for OKC and SGA receiving the MVP award before game one only added fuel to the fire. With WBY anchoring a defense that flumxed SGA in a way no other team
could, the young Spurs shocked the world, staving off elimination twice to eliminate the Thunder in seven games. Webanyama averaged roughly 27 points, 11 rebounds, four stocks, and three assists in the series to claim West Finals MVP. The indelible image of an emotional WBY celebrating his first trip to the finals felt like the type of visual that will come to define the dawning of a new era. Fans can often get ahead of themselves when projecting the future of young stars, but everything's on the table when it comes to Wemanyama. He's coming for every accolade, individual award, and team trophy in the coming years. If he continues along his current
trajectory, he'll be in goat discussions before he turns 30. Heck, he might be considered the best defensive player ever by the time he turns 25. His unprecedented combination of size and agility allows him to simultaneously protect the paint and contain ball handlers. On the offensive end, the guy who can dominate inside and shoot from half court is somehow only scratching the surface. As legendary NBA coach Mike Danton told ESPN in 2026, "That's why he's going to be MVP for the next 10 years." Victor Wmanyama's just getting started, but it might only be a matter of time before the greatest prospect in the history of team sports
becomes the greatest player in the history of team sports. Down away.
