Why this year’s NBA Draft has GOAT potential

The world’s top basketball prospects are set to gather in Brooklyn at 8 pm ET tonight for the 77th annual NBA Draft, where they’ll (hopefully) hear their name called out, walk across the stage, and put on a hat that proclaims their new team. Think: the Harry Potter Sorting Hat ceremony, but basketball.

The star of tonight’s show is French superstar Victor Wembanyama, aka the “Gen-Z Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.” He’s widely considered to be the best NBA prospect since LeBron James in 2003, and it’s not hard to see why.

The 19-year-old Wembanyama stands 7-foot-4 with an eight-foot wingspan – and can dribble and shoot like a guard, in addition to defending and scoring in the paint like a center. For context, only a dozen or so NBA players have ever been 7-foot-4 or taller… and exactly zero of those possessed a skillset like Wembanyama’s, according to scouts.

🏀 Some more NBA Draft tidbits to drop in the chat:

• Wembanyama has a 99.5% chance to be drafted first overall by the San Antonio Spurs, according to DraftKings. This means a $20,000 bet would win just $100.
• This year is the third draft where the Spurs have owned the No. 1 overall pick. Both previous selections – David Robinson and Tim Duncan – were first-ballot Hall of Fame centers who won multiple championships.
• The average contract for a 2023 first-round pick is projected to be worth ~$23 million over four years.