NBA Prospect Victor Wembanyama Is So Good, Teams Are 'Racing To The Bottom' For Top Pick

The NBA's top prospect -- Victor Wembanyama -- is so good, he's got teams waiting to shoot their shot a full season before he enters the draft.

France's Wembanyama showed why he's the Association's most coveted young player on Wednesday night, playing for French basketball club, Metropolitans 92, against the G League Ignite.

Victor Wembanyama put up an insane stat line in the loss, racking up 37 points, while burying seven three-pointers and adding five blocks and four rebounds.

“It was a great experience, a great experience,” Wembanyama said after the game. “I can’t wait to do it again. I know we’ll do it again in two days, and then for the rest of my life.”

Not only has the 18-year-old shown off incredible handles and speed at 7-foot-4, but he also harnesses incredible shooting from the perimeter. And an eight-foot wingspan.

Put it simply, this guy was created in a lab to dominate the sport of basketball.

Described as a taller version of Kevin Durant, Victor Wembanyama's well-rounded skill-set with generational length already has NBA general managers gawking at the notion of tanking for the youngster, who's been lauded as a franchise-changing player.

With only a year left until he's eligible for the NBA Draft, pro teams have been telling his coach, Bouna Ndiaye, to shut him down until he's picked No. 1 overall. All early forecasts predict he's a shoe-in for that spot.

The coach said it's not in Wembanyama's DNA to stay sidelined.

"If we came with that kind of talk to , he will look at us and say, 'What are you talking about?' He'll never agree to that," Ndiaye said. "He wants to compete and get better. With Victor, it's basketball first and everything else second. He was so pissed off that he lost."

After his exhibition-game loss to the Ignite, Wembanyama told his coach he was set on scoring 50+ points when the two teams play again Thursday night.

One anonymous GM, in talks with ESPN, said the early bid for Wembanyama among NBA circles is shaping up as a "race to the bottom" following Wednesday's standout performance.

"Victor distorts basketball reality," the GM said. "The tank/trade market will really shift after that showing. It feels like last night will start a race to the bottom like we've never seen."

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Alejandro Avila lives in Southern California and previously covered news for the LA Football Network. Jeopardy expert and grumpy sports fan. Known for having watched every movie and constant craving for dessert. @alejandroaveela (on X)