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Victor Wembanyama misfires on first pitch at Yankees game ahead of NBA Draft

The French star is projected to go with the Spurs' No. 1 pick

callie lawson-freeman
Contributing writer
·3 min read
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Boulogne-Levallois' Victor Wembanyama looks on during the Elite basketball match Boulogne-Levallois against JDA Dijon at the Palais de Sports Jean-Michel Geoffroy in Dijon, central France, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. On Sunday, May 7, 2023, he played before a crowd of about 15,000 fans in Paris as part of his farewell tour before coming to the NBA. Wembanyama is about a week away from learning which team will be picking him in the NBA Draft. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Excitement for top pick Victor Wembanyama continues to build. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Days removed from the end of Victor Wembanyama's French league career, fans had the opportunity to watch his 8-foot wingspan at work on the baseball diamond for a moment. The result suggested it was fortunate he picked basketball as his career.

He's in New York to presumably be selected with the San Antonio Spurs' No. 1 pick at the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday. Before that milestone moment, he threw the ceremonial first pitch in the New York Yankees' game tonight against the Seattle Mariners.

When the moment finally arrived, Wembanyama's pitch was just a bit outside. And in the dirt.

The 19-year-old averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game for Metropolitans 92 in France’s LNB Pro A last season. He is regarded as the best prospect since LeBron James, who has referred to him as a "unicorn."

With his 7-foot-4 frame, everything about the first pitch was ridiculous before he could even throw it. For example, why did the team give him this tiny baseball?

Just kidding, here's a closer look at the regulation sized baseball in his hand:

Here he is with a bat:

After Wembanyama wraps things up at Yankee Stadium, there's a general consensus regarding his next stop. His future in San Antonio seems so sure that he almost slipped up and said that's where he would play while speaking to French media.

One Spurs fan went as far as catching Wembanyama’s attention by having his portrait shaved into the back of his head in anticipation of the player joining the team.

Seemingly set destination or not, Wembanyama's stardom has reached far beyond Texas. When he touched down in New York, he was met with a mob of fans clamoring for autographs and photos.

“I don’t know how they knew what flight I was on, but it’s fun,” he said as he navigated the crowd. “It’s different, seeing that you can have such impact on people.”

As crazy as his past few months have been, this is just the beginning of a basketball whirlwind for Wembanyama.

After the draft, he'll head to San Antonio (or wherever) for his introduction to the city and participate in NBA Con in Las Vegas. He told a fan he would play in the NBA Summer League "a little bit," and then he'll join Team France in August for the FIBA World Cup before NBA training camp and preseason games begin.