San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama dropped some words of advice for compatriot Zaccharie Risacher after the 19-year-old was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.
Wembanyama, who understands the pressure of being the top draft pick having been selected by San Antonio with the first overall pick last year, says Risacher needs to be himself and not let the pressures that come with the money or fame change him.
“We each have our own experiences and I don’t know how he feels about all the stuff, all the difficulties,” the 7-foot-4 Frenchman stated. “He might struggle on something that I didn’t struggle on and maybe I’ll struggle on something that is super easy for him.
“I don’t know but if I had to give one advice, it would be to be yourself. Don’t change for anything. Don’t let the pressure change you, I am not worried about it but don’t let the fame, the money, whatever… But I know Zac, he is not threatened by that.”
HE’S NUMBER 1️⃣
Welcome to Atlanta, @Zacch_10! pic.twitter.com/1Ro2XPAr6l
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) June 27, 2024
Wembanyama, who is a year older than his countryman, enjoyed a stellar first season in the NBA, winning the Rookie of the Year Award as well as being named to the All-Rookie First Team and All-Defensive First Team.
The 20-year-old averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game for the Spurs in the 2023–24 NBA season, which they finished with a 22–60 record.
Wembanyama is currently on international duty after being named to France’s 19-man preliminary team for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games this summer, alongside some other NBA stars like Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, and Evan Fournier.
The French team, led by Vincent Collet, will look to improve their performance at the Tokyo 2020 Games, where they finished with the silver medal after losing to the United States in the final.
They are expected to play a number of warmup games in their build-up to the Olympics, where they have been drawn in Group B alongside Germany, Japan, and the winner of an upcoming qualifying tournament.
