Magic Johnson thinks Victor Wembanyama will have the same impact LeBron had
Wembanyama’s wave has taken over the basketball universe and no one can deny the greatness the young athlete possesses. Getting so much notice from a young age, the 19-year-old is expected to take over the NBA when he gets in after the draft which is slated for June 22, 2023.
Although there are a few days before D-day, so much praise has been heaped on the French phenom and not a day goes by before we hear new praise.
Victor is one of the highest-prospected basketball players getting to the NBA and his hype has been compared to the one LeBron James had back in 2003. Well, LeBron James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers and as we know the rest is history.
Magic Johnson thinks that Victor will relive the impact that LeBron had when he was getting into the NBA. The Cavaliers went from being a recurrent NBA weakling to a serious playoff contender in just four years.
The Cavaliers made their first appearance in the NBA Finals thanks to James’ outstanding performance in the 2007 playoff matchup against Detroit.LeBron James was selected by the $222 million-valued Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft.
The Cavaliers were worth $476 million when James left to join the Miami Heat in 2010, over two times the amount they were worth just seven years earlier(a $254 million increase). Although it may seem absurd, James’ impact extended beyond the value of the team to the city of Cleveland as his presence helped the city’s economy grow.
Victor is expected to have the same impact if not surpassing it. Talking to Bryan Kalbrosky of For The Win, Magic said, “He can affect the game in so many different ways and whoever gets him: This guy is going to change his franchise forever. The hype is real.
He will probably make an impact like LeBron did when he first came into the league. This young man is special. He’s a league changer and a franchise changer. I don’t know if we’ve seen someone with this type of talent in a long time be that young.”
So much confidence in Wembanyama from the iconic Los Angeles Laker who has praised Wembanyama on more than one occasion. Magic called him “the best player in the world.” In a tweet from Johnson’s official account, the tweet read, “I had the chance to meet and talk to the best player in the world and this year’s number one pick in the NBA draft Victor Wembanyama !”
As Wembanyama is continuing to break records, his agents have also predicted him landing a shoe deal of more than $100 Million which will surpass LeBron’s Nike deal he inked in 2003 which was valued at $90 Million. If that happens it will be the first milestone of many to come and perhaps he might revolutionize the franchise and the NBA when he lands in.
The team that would be lucky to have him will find out their fate on May 16 when the draft lottery happens. The hopeful contenders who have a higher possibility of drafting the French wunderkind are the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.
It’s just a matter of time before we find out if Wembanyama will live up to his hype.
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