Victor Wembanyama is a true class act.
The San Antonio Spurs power forward has established himself as a strong contender for Rookie of the Year, as he ended the 2023-24 season with an average of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. His performance on the court has also led to lucrative endorsement deals with brands like Nike, Fanatics, Barcode, and Louis Vuitton. But despite his steady stream of W's throughout the past year, the French-born athlete has maintained an admirable level of humility and loyalty to his teammates—so much so that he reportedly declined Drake’s invitation to join him onstage.
Former NBA player JJ Redick shared the information during a recent appearance on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast hosted by NBA legend Carmelo Anthony and comedian The Kid Mero. At around the 39:40-minute mark, Redick discussed Wemby’s rookie season and praised his ability to embrace all the “hype” without inflating his ego. He underscored his position with an anecdote he heard in 2023, shortly after Wemby and his Spurs teammates attended an It's All a Blur tour stop in Texas.
“There was a Drake concert in Austin and [Wembanyama] got asked to come up onstage 'cause Drake was doing that with a bunch of NBA guys this offseason,” Redick recalled. “And Wemby was like, ‘Can my teammates come up onstage with me? ‘Cause they are going to be at the concert with me.' And Drake’s camp was like, ‘No.' And [Wemby’s] like, ‘Then I don’t want to do it.’ What 19-year-old kid doesn’t want to go up onstage with Drake?”
Drake was in Austin back in September for a two-night stint at the Moody Center. Several weeks after the event, Wemby took to Instagram to share a series of photos he had taken before his NBA debut; one of those snaps showed him posing next to the OVO boss.
Redick went on to describe Wembanyama as a “low-maintenance” star, similar to Steph Curry and Tim Duncan.
“There’s been anomalies for star players in that they have been low maintenance,” he said. “I would describe myself as somewhat low maintenance. There’s Steph and there’s, like, Tim Duncan. Wemby is one of them. That, to me, is as impressive as anything he does on the court.”
JJ Redick explains why he puts Wemby next to Steph and Tim Duncan pic.twitter.com/0CJBtAtOyD
— 7PM in Brooklyn (@7PMinBrooklyn) April 18, 2024
This article was originally published on Complex.com.
