It’s only the first day in Victor Wimpanyama’s office, but it already felt right at home in San Antonio.
After a busy week appearing in the NBA draft as the overall pick of the year, Wimpanyama spent Saturday getting a warm reception from the entire San Antonio Fandom for the first time. As such, he rounded off his special day on a priceless dinner with some of the franchise’s greats in Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Sean Elliott.
“Maybe in two hours, I’ve learned more about the NBA than in my entire life before that,” Wimpanyama told reporters Saturday during his inaugural press conference. according ESPN’s Andrew Lopez. “It is so comforting to see that these people who are so important to the city of San Antonio and the franchise are such wonderful and generous people.
“They really wanted to share their experience. I feel like they really started to take great care of me. It’s very important to be in a position where you feel comfortable.”
Wembanyama accepted the torch from the former Spurs icons to provide San Antonio with the strength to move forward, and the move couldn’t be more difficult to consider in hindsight.
After establishing themselves as one of the game’s greatest dynasties, who have enjoyed their five championships in nearly 20 years, the Spurs entered an odd place and crashed out of mediocrity. They haven’t been to the postseason for the past four seasons, which is an unusual slip considering they’re in the playoffs from 1997 to 2019.
The path back to fitness and competition will truly start from scratch, starting with a once-in-a-lifetime talent at Wimpanyama that holds a promising future.
“I wanted to tell you directly, we are excited to grow with you, support you, and challenge you – especially the coach [Gregg Popovich] – On your journey through life and basketball,” Spurs manager Brian Wright told Wembanyama.