Tony Parker has been one of the important figures of the Spurs’ golden history, and he can’t be more delighted to see his fellow Frenchman in Victor Wembanyama to land in San Antonio.
According to Parker, San Antonio serves as a “perfect place” for the phenom as he is set to start his much anticipated career in the NBA.
“I know he wanted to go to San Antonio, and so it feels like it was destiny, with the French connection we built over the years,” Parker told the Associated Press. “And he is going to keep the legacy going. It’s pretty cool.”
San Antonio won the franchise-altering sweepstakes last May for this year’s draft, which meant they officially matched themselves with Wembanyama.
Wembanyama, 19, is highly touted as a once in a lifetime prospect given his unusual combination of size, skills, and limitless potential.
“He is unique,” Parker said. “His set of skills is unique. You know, we never saw a guy, a 7-5 (player), shooting like that, and having the dribbling skills that he has, and the way that he plays the game, it is just different. I can’t wait to see him play with the Spurs.”
Wembanyama emerged from France with that fond familiarity with Parker. The retired Spurs star currently serves as an owner for French club Villeurbanne in which the promising cager played for a season.
Parker believes that it is only a matter of time for San Antonio to reclaim its lost glory as the franchise finally found its newest centerpiece to conquer this era in a long-term vision.
“That’s a good first piece,” he said. “Now he is going to need some help, to win a championship in the NBA is the hardest thing your are going to have to do. So with the Spurs, we’ve got a lot of work to do now to try to bring pieces around him that are going to fit, for us to be able to contend for a championship.”
