Why Victor Wembanyama left EuroLeague and why Woj's words hurt so much / News - Basketnews.com

ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported drafting Victor Wembanyama might add as much as $500M to the value of the NBA franchise. These are painful words for the EuroLeague leadership because one of the most promising NBA draft prospects in history was supposed to play in the EuroLeague club this season.

Credit: AFP - Scanpix Credit AFP - Scanpix

NBA fans took no notice of the opening night of the strongest club competition in the old continent. They had one giant reason from an average domestic league club in Europe that overshadowed the tip-off of the 2022-23 EuroLeague season.

2-pointers this season

45%17,0Points made:17,0Accuracy:44,7%Place in standings:7Record max:17Record min:17Most made 2FGs:Youssoupha FallTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

18-year-old basketball prodigy from France Victor Wembanyama was shooting lights out this week in Las Vegas, averaging 36.5 points and 4.5 blocks in two exhibition games vs. G-League Ignite.

He introduced himself to the NBA superstars and the US basketball fans showing why he's the most anticipated future No. 1 draft pick in many years.

Or, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN described him, "the greatest singular prospect in the NBA draft history" that "is going to really impact the league before he plays a minute out there."

The other part of his statement was painful for any EuroLeague basketball fan, starting with the new leadership of Dejan Bodiroga and Marshall Glickman.

"As one team president said to me, drafting Wembanyama might add as much as $500M to the value of your franchise," Woj revealed.

In our EuroLeague preseason URBONUS podcast addition, I mentioned that EuroLeague is one of the three biggest offseason losers just because of Wembanyama's departure.

Now we see why.

Can you imagine Vic returning to the EuroLeague after his Las Vegas trip with all the hype he created in the United States?

With all the words from LeBron James, Steph Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and others? With Chris Paul and Devin Booker sitting at courtside to witness Wembanyama's greatness?

Can you imagine what the new CEO Marshall Glickman, with his NBA experience and marketing knowledge, would have been able to make out of it in the EuroLeague?

NBA talking heads discussing Wembanyama's outings in the EuroLeague. NBA people flooding the EuroLeague cities every week. Fans in entire Europe packing gyms to witness this so-called alien. Highlights going viral on social media.

Victor Wembanyama

Position:CAge:18Height:221 cmWeight:95 kgBirth place:FranceProfileNewsStatistics

All this and more with the EuroLeague basketball in the background.

If his addition is anticipated to add $500M to the value of any NBA franchise, you can only dream about the value that EuroLeague would have gotten from his seven-month presence in Europe.

That's not the EuroLeague fault, but it's painful.

Tony Parker has been building this program in Villeurbanne and Lyon from the first moment he entirely took over the ASVEL basketball club.

It looked like a perfect setup. Wembanyama was working in the laboratory of a four-time NBA champion and one of the most respected international players in the league.

San Antonio Spurs would also have been delighted to take the torch from their former Spur to start a new promising era in the NBA with generational talent.

So how come the biggest prospect that France ever had leaves Tony Parker and his project?

It was shocking at first but a totally rational decision by Wembanyama's camp when you think about it.

Some sources suggest Wembanyama and his camp were a little bit unhappy with how his experience in ASVEL went, and this dissatisfaction was growing throughout the season.

As BasketNews sources suggested, it was related to strict coaching, usage on the court, and treatment off the court.

ASVEL's owner Tony Parker did everything in his power to keep him. He bought some time and did meetings when Wembanyama's camp showed they would opt out of the three-year contract with ASVEL in June. But even TP couldn't hold him.

Credit Olivier Chassignole/AFP - Scanpix

It wasn't an easy season for Wembanyama.

He wasn't playing much at first and fractured his finger, which forced him to miss nearly a month.

When he returned and got more significant playing time, he injured his shoulder and didn't play for almost two months.

He came back and finished the season with a couple of promising EuroLeague performances vs. Zalgiris Kaunas (14 PTS, 5 BLK, 23 PIR) and Emporio Armani Milan (18 PTS, 4/5 3FG). But he couldn't finish the season in the French league due to a muscle injury.

He averaged 6.5 points (2FG: 37.3%, 3FG: 30.3%), 3.8 rebounds, and 5.5 PIR in 13 EuroLeague games.

Wembanyama put up 9.4 points (2FG: 60.5%, 3FG: 26%), 5.1 rebounds, and 11.5 EFF on average in 16 French league games.

These are impressive numbers for an 18-year-old player on such a level in Europe.

But Wembanyama's skill and body combination is not only a gift that makes him once in a lifetime talent. It's a treasure that requires specific treatment.

Per BasketNews sources, NBA scouts were convinced that if Wembanyama's camp had shut him down for the entire 2022-23 season, even before exhibition games in Las Vegas, he would still have remained as the No. 1 NBA draft pick.

But as his agent Bouna Ndiaye recalled, that was never the case for Wembanyama. He wanted to play and compete. But the Frenchman had to listen to his camp to be wise.

And he has a solid camp around him. It starts with devoted parents who impact Wembanyama's decision making. And also with his agent Bouna Ndiaye, who is labeled as "Misko Raznatovic of France" by basketball people in the old continent.

Raznatovic is considered the best agent in Europe, so that's a solid recognition for Bouna.

Although Wembanyama's move to Metropolitans 92 looked odd, it basically ticks all the boxes for what was best for his future.

First, Metropolitans 92, based in the Paris metropolitan area, wasn't the sexiest destination.

It was a solid EuroCup team last season. However, this is a club that is exclusively operated by public money. Due to complicated political issues behind the scenes, they were without a gym after the 2022-23 season and on a greatly decreasing budget.

There were serious concerns over Metropolitans 92 long-term future.

The initial idea was to move Wembanyama to Paris. The newly established team in France had a good experience developing a projected 2022 first-round pick Ismael Kamagate and was in a good position to acquire Wembanyama.

However, this project, driven by the former president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, David Kahn, had its agenda.

Everybody knew that Victor was a one-and-done project. Despite all the problems, Metropolitans 92 became a reasonable last stop in Europe for Wembanyama.

Metropolitans 92 play only in the French league. This means Wembanyama is scheduled to play only once per week.

That was not the case in ASVEL. They would have played at least 68 games in EuroLeague and French league (excluding the playoff games). Their calendar would also have included at least 2-3 games per week throughout the season.

Instead of spending time on commercial flights, airports, trains, and an intense EuroLeague team schedule with no time for individual work, he will get what's most important to him.

Enough rest and quality recovery after a single game per week.

Enough time to improve his skills and body.

Wembanyama's camp put a real team around him to take care of him at every step in Metropolitans 92, starting from nutritionists to personal strength and conditioning coaches and skill trainers.

There is a clear role in a team built entirely around him, with the experienced French national team head coach Vincent Collet behind it, who stayed there for one last season only for Vic.

It is a situation that Wembanyama could control on his last step before the NBA.

Now it's funny to remember the last generational talent from Europe, Luka Doncic, who had to go through so much to get well-deserved recognition in the NBA.

Well, he didn't even get the deserved respect from the NBA people, despite playing 73 highest-quality games in Europe, averaging 16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in the EuroLeague and collecting EuroLeague and Spanish league titles, EuroLeague season, and Final Four MVP awards.

But the most important games, finals, championships, and challenges are years ahead of Wembanyama.

He is the future of the NBA. And that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of the EuroLeague fans, who were ready to witness his greatness weekly on the biggest European stage this season.

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