‘He’s more like an alien’: LeBron James dismisses ‘unicorn’ talk about 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French phenom widely expected to be the top pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, has been compared to a unicorn for his near-mythical combination of size and skill, but LeBron James took the analogies for a spin. step further after seeing him in person on Tuesday.

“He’s more of an alien,” James said Wednesday after a preseason game in Las Vegas against the Phoenix Suns one night after witnessing Wembanyama in nearby Henderson, Nevada.

The “unicorn” title has been tossed around NBA circles in recent years to describe any player over six feet tall who can dribble and shoot like a guard. Washington Wizards 7-foot-3 center Kristaps Porzingis is one of the most notable to bear the name, but years of injuries and his gunfights have all but ended that conversation.

Wembanyama, going on, seemed to have no qualms hitting three-pointers, or anything, on Tuesday as his French team, Metropolitans 92, played the G League Ignite squad, with another top contender in point guard Scoot Henderson.

Henderson had 28 points and nine assists in a win for the Ignite, but it was Wembanyama who stole the show, scoring 37 points on 11-for-20 shooting with seven three-pointers, five blocked shots and four rebounds.

“Everyone goes on and on about this unicorn thing, everyone’s been a unicorn for the past few years,” James said on Wednesday, “but he’s more of an alien.”

James, once considered the greatest prospect in NBA history before winning four NBA Finals MVP awards, admitted that Wembanyama is a rare talent even by his own standards.

“I’ve never seen it, no one has ever seen someone as tall as him, but so fluid and graceful when he’s out on the floor,” James said, calling Wembanyama a “generational talent.”

“I mean by 7-foot-4 or 7-foot-5 or 7-foot-3 — whatever the case — his ability to put the ball on the ground, shoot step-back jumpers off the post, step – back threes, catch and shoot threes, block shots.

Wembanyama’s performance only cemented his status as the expected first pick of the 2023 Draft, leading some to question whether he would sit out the French season to avoid injury.

However, his agent told ESPN that Wembanyama will not do such a thing.

“NBA people tell me to take him out, and we’re not going to take him out,” player agent Bouna Ndiaye told ESPN on Wednesday. ‘If we came up with such a conversation’ [Wembanyama], he will look at us and say, ‘What are you talking about?’ He will never agree. He wants to compete and get better. At Victor, basketball comes first and everything else comes second. He was so mad he lost.’

The conversation about widespread refueling around the NBA was sparked after the Wembanyama-Henderson matchup, as fans and media both predicted that mediocre teams would make themselves less competitive to improve their chances in the 2023 lottery.

“Wembanyama and Scoot were so great that I’ve decided to refuel this season as well,” Sports Illustrated’s Howard Beck joked.

After Victor Wembanyama’s performance with 37 points vs. [G-League Ignite] in Las Vegas last night, 11 teams trying to figure out how to lose all 82 games,” added ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla, a former college coach with an eye for European talent.

But to Wembanyama, the conversation all sounded a little strange.

“Of course the word and the meaning behind the word is kind of weird,” he told reporters. “Personally, I would never want to lose. It’s just a personal thing. But I really try to stay out of it. Either way, it will affect where I end up. All I can do for me is concentrate on the work itself.’

In an effort to curb tanking, the NBA flattened lottery odds in 2019, leaving the three worst teams each with a 14 percent chance of winning the top pick. So while mediocre teams are expected to trade in veteran talent in hopes of improving lottery odds, there’s not much they can do to further increase their odds.

Ignite and Metropolitans 92 play again on Thursday afternoon.

“We’ve come to show Victor to everyone and teach him what the next 15 years of his life will look like when it comes to managing expectations and the attention that comes his way,” Ndiaye told ESPN.

‘We came to learn. We want him to be the best he can be. The next game may be difficult for him. He must learn to be consistent. Repeat, get better, learn.’ The impact of all this threatens to change the NBA season landscape.