France's Victor Wembanyama excited by NBA Draft Lottery results: 'Whole country wanted Spurs to have first pick'

Kyle Irving

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France's Victor Wembanyama excited by NBA Draft Lottery results: 'Whole country wanted Spurs to have first pick' image

The highly anticipated Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes have been decided. The Spurs have won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery.

If the instant reaction from Wembanyama and his family — who were tuning into the lottery at 2 a.m. in Paris — wasn't telling enough, the 7-foot-4 French phenom is ecstatic about how things unfolded.

It was a long day for the projected No. 1 overall pick, who concluded his regular season with Metropolitans 92 in France's LNB Pro A league just hours before the lottery. After going for 18 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a win to lock up the No. 2 seed for his team, all Wembanyama had was time to await the lottery results.

MORE: Post-Lottery 2023 NBA Mock Draft: Who goes No. 2 after Wembanyama?

Once the ping-pong balls fell in San Antonio's favor, Wembanyama was quick to send a message to the rest of the NBA in an interview with ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

"I'm trying to win a ring ASAP, so be ready," the 19-year-old stated confidently.

Wembanyama is in a position to be the third No. 1 overall pick in Spurs history, joining two Hall of Famers in David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997).

MORE: Who were the biggest winners and losers of the NBA Draft Lottery?

On top of that, San Antonio has plenty of ties to Wembanyama's homeland. Wembanyama's mentor, French legend Tony Parker, earned four NBA championships playing for the Spurs. One of those titles also came alongside another French legend, Boris Diaw.

Wembanyama did not attempt to downplay the entire country's excitement of San Antonio winning the lottery.

"There's a special relation between France and the Spurs because of Tony (Parker), of course, and because of Boris (Diaw)," Wembanyama said.

"I know half of the country, if not the whole country, wanted the Spurs to have the first pick."

Wembanyama wrapped up a chaotic day with a simple tweet at 4 a.m. local time in Paris: "Today was a good day."

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.