NBA stars salute Victor Wembanyama ROY win

Fanatics celebrated the newest Kia Rookie of the Year, Spurs big Victor Wembanyama, by debuting The Exhibit: Wemby’s ROY surprise.

SAN ANTONIO – Production hands swept feverishly, while others diligently brushed up the set with the last finishing touches.

Victor Wembanyama was expected to arrive at 3:03 p.m. CT.

No time to waste. After all, there was a surprise in store that needed to hit.

So, as time ticked away for Wembanyama’s arrival, the crew in the pits of Frost Bank Center near the loading docks rehearsed the scene with an actress and a 6-foot-3 stand-in climbing atop a box to simulate the rookie’s mountainous height, thus ensuring optimum shots from six camera angles.

Fanatics, a partner of Wembanyama’s, created the documentary short “The Exhibit: Wemby’s Rookie of the Year Surprise” that features several NBA legends and previous winners of the award, using the same creative team behind the “Dwyane Wade’s Last Swap” commercial that aired in 2019

The Wembanyama video includes former Rookie of the Year winners LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Shaquille O’Neal, David Robinson, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Pau Gasol, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd and Grant Hill.

“They’re pulling in,” a voice crackled over a speaker.

Showtime.

Wembanyama arrived on set thinking he was at a Fanatics traveling exhibit called “Origins of Greatness” replete with game worn jerseys, trading cards and other memorabilia from some of the game’s all-time greats.

Unbeknownst to Wembanyama, the exhibit was curated exclusively to surprise him with news he had been named 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year.

Walking through the halls of the arena as a commercial shoot commenced on the court starring Spurs greats Manu Ginobili and George Gervin, the French phenom met with the curator, Michelle (an actress), of the fake exhibit, who led the rookie to the set.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” he said.

Once there, Wembanyama marveled at the rookie cards and game-worn memorabilia of NBA greats, pointing out he once owned a Toronto jersey that featured an image of Carter on the front. As he walked around the exhibit surrounded by tall screens featuring action shots of the NBA greats, the images all of the sudden came to life.

“Hey Vic, Shaq here,” O’Neal says, his mouth on the screen moving in unison with the message. “I don’t know a lot of French, but I know how to say, C’est bon.”

The 22 people hidden behind the set at “video village” erupted in laughter while Gervin wandered around in the back. That group included Wembanyama’s mother, Elodie de Fautereau, his agent Bouna Ndiaye, Spurs communications personnel and producers of the project as well as Issa Mboh, the rookie’s marketing manager at Comsport Global.

“Hey, that’s so trippy,” a smiling but surprised Wembanyama said once O’Neal comes to life on the screen.

Then, everything faded to black.

The lights returned seconds later and the monitors featuring game images morphed into personalized congratulatory messages from each of the NBA greats. Humility lit Wembanyama’s face.

We figured a historic rookie season deserved some historic Rookie of the Year surprises. Congrats, @Wemby. #ROTY #PorVida #NBA pic.twitter.com/WqiuRCTdKZ

— Fanatics (@Fanatics) May 6, 2024

“It was incredible,” Wembanyama told NBA.com afterward, strolling down a hallway headed to the San Antonio Spurs locker room. “Very inspiring.”

The 20-year-old beamed with gratitude in the aftermath of an event staged by dozens and kept secret from him as well as many in his inner circle, including Wembanyama’s own personal assistant.

Hands on both hips at the end of the production, the rookie smiled, lighting up the dark room.

“Definitely unexpected,” he said. “I appreciate the messages themselves as well, not just the people they were from. It feels good after giving so much effort the whole season and to have these types of legends acknowledging you. It’s incredible.”

It’s also a reason interest in the NBA continues to grow, in the Frenchman’s opinion.

“It’s definitely something I see in American culture,” he told NBA.com. “Lots of the greats, they actually want the young ones to succeed. Lots of them. It’s good to see. And it also explains why [the NBA is] so thriving because we get the support from the legends of this game.”

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

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