French phenom Victor Wembanyama officially becomes part of the NBA on Thursday evening at the league’s annual draft.

The San Antonio Spurs will select the 7-4 forward-center with the No. 1 overall pick, making him the 14th international player to become the top pick and the first international player to go No. 1 without playing basketball at a U.S. college since Andrea Bargnani in 2006.

Unofficially, Wembanyama was part of the NBA during the 2022-23 season with the league streaming all of his France pro league games on its app, and Wembanyama’s French team, Metropolitans 92, playing two exhibition games against the G League Ignite in October.

League officials are already comfortable calling him by his nickname "Wemby."

He comes to the league as well-known as any prospect since LeBron James was drafted No. 1 in 2003. The hype and fascination are similar.

"The question – I don't know the answer – but the question I've asked myself is if you took at 18-year-old LeBron and dismissed what he has done afterwards, just look at him as a prospect, and Victor is 19, if you took them side by side in this draft in today's game, which player would you select at No. 1?" ESPN’s Jay Bilas said. "And it's a head- scratcher because it's really hard to dismiss what LeBron has done."

Victor Wembanyama already has high NBA profile

Before playing an NBA game, Wembanyama is one of the faces of the league. According to NBA data, of the top 10 most-viewed players on NBA social media in 2022-23, Wembanyama was No. 8 with 350 million views.

He arrives a known commodity.

NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum called him a unicorn, that rare player who can transform a team and a league with his outstanding game and endearing personality.

"He seemingly can do it all," Tatum told USA TODAY Sports.

The on-court comparisons are difficult given his size, but think Kevin Durant, Kristaps Porzingis, Rudy Gobert and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Phew, that’s a lot.

Wembanyama and Tatum addressed those expectations.

"The influence that players like (French stars) Tony Parker, Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum have had, they have all really wrapped their arms around Victor to give him a sense as to what he can expect coming into the NBA," Tatum said.

Said Wembanyama: "I don't let all this stuff get into my head because I’ve got such high expectations for myself that I'm immune to all this stuff, so I really don't care."

Regardless of what he does on the court − and he’s the overwhelming favorite to win 2023-24 Rookie of the Year − Wembanyama will have a cascading impact on the league, especially on the business side. He's a marketing dream who can attract more eyeballs, subscribers, sold merchandise, and elevate the NBA.

"The NBA's just got to be thrilled that yet another young, international star is going to be generating excitement, not just here in the States, but really globally," Washington University’s Sports Business Program director Patrick Rishe said. "So it, it's just a very exciting time for the league, for the team, for the player. …

"With the exception of soccer, basketball is arguably the most internationally played game in the world. And so to have yet another international star in the world's best league is just going to amplify the interest in the league globally."

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA SEEN AS GENERATIONAL PICK. How did other similar NBA picks do?

San Antonio Spurs back on the NBA map

The Spurs won championships in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. But they haven’t made the playoffs since 2019 and were 22-60 last season. During those deep playoff runs, the Spurs filled the arena. However, they were 22nd in the league last season in percent of arena capacity at 92.3%. Wembanyama should return that close to 100%, just as it was during the height of the Parker, Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Manu Ginobili days.

New and renewed partnerships will also generate more revenue for the franchise.

"If we assume best-case scenario that if he comes in and plays well − maybe not as well as LeBron did 20 years ago − but if he comes in and plays well and accounts for himself, well, it's obviously great for the Spurs franchise," Rishe said.

"They outperformed their market financially because they had players and teams that won championships. This helps restore and resuscitate a franchise that was lagging the last few years."

Whether it's more seats and suites sold, local and regional partnerships, a local TV rights deal or jersey patch sponsorship, the Spurs are set to cash in.

Victor Wembanyama’s vast earnings potential

The rookie scale contract for the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s draft will come in around four years, $45.2 million. Wembanyama likely will make more as an endorser.

He has signed a shoe and athletic apparel deal with Nike ($100 million guaranteed is not a stretch), and ESPN reported the initial campaign will use the theme of a supernova, an exploding star.

He will have access to deals with sports drinks, high-end fashion houses and international brands that are usually not available to U.S.-born athletes.

“Obviously just look at your international soccer stars, and the global nature of that sport and what they're able to command internationally from other markets,” Rishe said. “V is not just for Victor, it's for victory as an endorsement generator because he certainly is going to have a lot of opportunities globally.

"The biggest challenge is going to be managing the deal flow. And that's going to be on his agent to be able to do that."

Bouna Ndiaye is Wembanyama’s agent, and in three decades in the business, he has represented some of France’s best players, including Batum, Gobert and Evan Fournier.

The international game continues to thrive

The NBA’s MVPs the past five seasons are international players: Antetokounmpo in 2019 and 2020, Denver’s Nikola Jokic in 2021 and 2022 and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid in 2023. Four of the five first-team All-NBA players last season were born outside of the U.S., and Denver’s Jokic and Jamal Murray (one Serbian and the other Canadian) led the Nuggets to the 2023 championship with Jokic earning Finals MVP.

Tatum said viewership in Serbia and Canada was up during the playoffs, and it’s expected Wembanyama will bring in more viewers in France and other parts of Europe.

"Just think back to the original Dream Team in 1992 and the number of international players that were in our league then, and today, 25% of our league being born outside the United States and having the impact that they're having," Tatum said. "They're changing literally the style of play, the style of the game. These players are doing things that have never been done before."

Tatum referenced the performances Jokic had during the Nuggets' title run, setting an NBA record for most triple-doubles in a single playoffs.

“That just resonates with people around the world,” he said.

And now, here comes Wembanyama.

"I'm trying to be the best," he said. "So being the best, it's not only on the court. There's all dimensions of the job of  basketball player. I'm an NBA player, and I want to be the best also at the media, the press conference and all this stuff. I don't like to do things halfway, so I'm trying to enjoy it."

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Victor Wembanyama is marketing dream for NBA, Spurs