SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Victor Wembanyama, dan wasan kwando mai tsayin ƙafa 7’4 daga Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, Faransa, ya zama ɗaya daga cikin manyan sunaye da ake magana akai a duniyar wasan kwando. Yana da shekaru 21 kacal, tauraron da ya lashe kyautar Rookie na Shekara a 2024 da kuma lambar azurfa a gasar Olympics, yanzu ya sake yin tasiri a gidansa na Faransa.
Kafin ya shiga NBA, Wembanyama ya fara wasa tare da ƙungiyar Nanterre 92 a birnin Paris. Tafiyarsa daga unguwannin Paris zuwa zama zaɓaɓɓen dan wasa na farko a gasar NBA a 2023, ta kasance abin burgewa. A cikin wata ziyara ta musamman, Wembanyama ya koma gida don bikin gina filin wasan kwando a cikinsa, wanda ya nuna farin cikin mazaunan garinsa.
“Yana da mahimmanci, ba ka tsammanin haka a cikin aikin ku,” in ji Wembanyama. “Wannan hanya ce ta ni don in sa mutane su yi farin ciki waɗanda ba za su taɓa samun damar zuwa Amurka ba. Yana da mahimmanci a gare ni. Abin alfahari ne, amma kuma alhaki.”
Ziyarar ta zo ne a lokacin da Wembanyama da ƙungiyar Spurs ke shirye-shiryen wasannin NBA a Paris, inda za su fafata da Indiana Pacers a ranakun 23 da 25 ga Janairu. Komawar Wembanyama wani bangare ne na yunƙurin Kwamishinan NBA Adam Silver na ƙara ƙarfafa kasancewar gasar a Turai.
Scottie Pippen, tsohon tauraron NBA wanda ya yi wasa tare da Michael Jordan a lokacin mulkin Chicago Bulls, ya bayyana sha’awarsa ga ƙwarewar Wembanyama. A cikin wata hira da aka yi da shi a shirin PBD Podcast, Pippen ya ce, “Ina ganin zai zama ɗaya daga cikin manyan ‘yan wasa.” Pippen ya kuma yi hasashen cewa Wembanyama na iya karya rikodin Wilt Chamberlain na maki 100 a wasa ɗaya.
Hasashen Pippen ba shi da tushe. Wembanyama yana da girman jiki, sauri, da fasaha wanda ke sa ya zama babbar barazana a filin wasa. A wannan kakar wasa, yana da matsakaicin maki 24.5, rebounds 10.8, da taimakawa 3.7 a kowane wasa, yana sake fasalin rawar da mai tsakiya ke takawa a NBA na zamani.
Yayin da Spurs suka fito a Paris, Wembanyama ba kawai yake komawa gida ba, har ma yana ɗauke da nauyin tsammanin mutane. Da kalaman Pippen suna tabbatarwa da kuma goyon bayan mazaunan gidansa, tafiyar Wembanyama daga gwarzon gida zuwa tauraron duniya ba ta ƙare ba. Gabaɗayan wasan kwando na iya juyawa a kan wannan tauraron Faransa.
