San Antonio Spurs staff have been told never to contact their rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama after 9:30 p.m.
This is because the Frenchman has a strict evening ritual, in which he reads for an hour before going to sleep.
Spurs’ director of basketball communications Jordan Howenstine revealed the oddity to The Athletics.
“Then he reads for an hour,” Howenstine explained. “Then he goes to sleep.”
It was also reported that after his nighttime read, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick tends to go to sleep around 10:30 at night.
Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama will not allow contact from anyone after 9:30 p.m
Wembanyama averaged 20.3 points and 10 rebounds in 37 games played
Those within the Spurs organization have praised the 6-foot-4 20-year-old as one of the brightest young players they have ever seen in the NBA.
“Victor is one of the two smartest teenagers I’ve seen play the game,” said Sean Elliott, former Spurs All-Star and now analyst.
“Of course the other one would be LeBron James. Those two immediately come to mind. And I have to say that Victor has a higher basketball IQ than Kobe (Bryant) at the same age.
‘Victor is a very intelligent person, period. In his spare time he enjoys reading.
“Usually you get young players doing video games in their spare time. So he is already a very intelligent and focused young man.”
Wembanyama and the Spurs recently let 76ers’ Joel Embiid score 70 points on them
Wembanyama averaged 20.3 points and 10 rebounds through his first 37 games in the NBA.
Regardless of his intelligence for a young player, Wembanyama and the Spurs ended up on the wrong end of a historic performance from Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
Embiid scored a franchise-record 70 points, the most in the NBA this season, to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 133-123 victory over the Spurs on Monday night.
He was 24 of 41 from the field, including 1 of 2 from 3-point range, and made 21 of 23 free throws. Embiid also posted a career-high with 18 rebounds.
He broke Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain’s 76ers record of 68 points, set on December 16, 1967, with a layup with 1:41 to play.