Is Victor Wembanyama the Most Interesting Person in Sports?

Apologies for taking inspiration from a beer commercial, but the one about “the most interesting man in the world” advising us to “stay thirsty” is never far from my mind when I look at San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama. The incredibly tall French basketball prodigy is only 22 years old, and no one born in the 2000s — no one whose life is shorter than LeBron James’ entire career — should ever be allowed to be in the running for the honorary title of “most interesting person.” And yet Wembanyama opens you up to the idea.

Already, in just his third season in the NBA, the seven-foot-four-plus Wemby is a singular phenomenon: a player with an eight-foot wingspan who can handle the ball, shoot like a guard, and also be tough and nasty near the hoop. In a sport that’s been around since 1891, he’s unlike any player we’ve ever seen: truly one of the only ones. And this season, he became the first player in NBA history to unanimously win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

But even that feat understates how impressive he is on the field, where he roams the court like he’s wearing roller skates. Watching him play defense is like watching giant 30-year-old men shrink from his shadow. In his presence, if they do not miss lay-ups, their shots are brutally blocked. He transforms his adversaries into little brothers.

On Monday, facing the reigning NBA champion heavyweight Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Wemby’s performance was a work of art worthy of being stolen from the Louvre: 41 points, 24 rebounds, countless foul shots, a series of backbreaking dunks and a 35-foot three-pointer to tie the game with less than 30 seconds left in the first of two overtimes. He played a career-high 49 minutes in a 122-115 victory, and it was breathtaking to watch. That Wemby is changing the geometry of a sport is certainly fascinating, but it’s not enough to earn the “most interesting” championship belt. He’s a contender for the job, not so much because of who he is now, but because of the person he’s clearly becoming. Simply put, it’s what he’s shown on the field that makes him so intriguing.

While many athletes now use social media to sell products, seeming to believe that the greatest of all goals is to be a money-making brand, that’s not what Wembanyama is. When Renée Good and Alex Pretti were murdered by ICE thugs on the streets of Minneapolis, Wemby wanted to talk about it. He first pulled back the curtain on how professional sports organizations operate, telling the press that the team’s public relations team had advised him not to speak out. Then he said, “I’m not going to sit here and give politically correct remarks. [answer]. Every day I wake up and see the news and I’m horrified. I find it insane that some people can give the impression that the killing of civilians is acceptable.” The comments cut through the noise and became a topic of conversation far beyond Texas.

But that’s not all. Wemby, for all his indomitable NBA cool, is interested in books, particularly science fiction and fantasy. His hero is Brandon Sanderson, who wrote the The Stormlight Archives and the Born from the mists trilogy. In March 2024, Wemby met with the Utah-based writer and they traded signed books for signed jerseys. That Wemby is willing to show his true love for something beyond sports and fame is a rare attribute that we don’t see as much in professional sports anymore, at least not since the days when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar spent his free time playing congas with Gil Scott-Heron. In fact, Wembanyama is such a reader that the San Antonio Public Library has exhibits and book suggestions under the heading Read like Wembyinspired by some of his favorites, including that of Brian Herbert Dune series. Alongside veteran teammate Harrison Barnes, Wembanyama also started a team book club.

But that’s not all yet. There is also his off-season meditation practice, guided by Shaolin monks; the fact that he can switch effortlessly between French and English; and his general curiosity about the people around him, from teammates to the team staff. It would be so easy for him to simply remain an athlete, but he seems to aspire to something greater, always pushing himself forward and aiming to become the best player in the history of the sport.

The basketball world calls him “the alien,” a nickname I don’t like, because what makes him special is how familiar, earthy and vulnerable he allows himself to be. But I can see how others find it intimidating, or at least different from anyone they’ve ever seen or experienced before. Can the most interesting person in the world really be 22? Wemby certainly gives me pause.