10 wildly overlooked aspects of Wembanyama's historic Rookie of the Year season
By Cal Durrett
5) Wembanyama's increasing star power.
Wembanyama isn't your classic Spurs star. He isn't media shy or reserved like Tim Duncan or David Robinson and has already captured NBA fans imaginations, more than Tony Parker or Manu Ginobili ever did. That is a shame, because both were fun players to watch, but X, TikTok, or YouTube weren't around earlier in their careers.
Contrast that with Wembanyama, who seems drawn to the spotlight and seems tailor-made for social media and the Internet as a whole, given his nightly highlights. Not to mention, how many people will want to play as him in NBA 2K?
All of that suggests that he can be a mega star, not just in the United States either, since he is French and plays for a team with a massive fan base that stretches into Mexico. The dramatic increase in international superstars has been huge for the NBA, with the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and now, possibly, Wembanyama, helping to expand the game.
That will draw plenty of eyes to San Antonio and grab the attention of other stars who may be open to playing with him.