While basketball fans around the world will soon know where Victor Wembanyama is playing next season, he will not be there to hear it himself.
Usually, we get to meet some of the top prospects on the telecast — like when we saw Chet Holmgren wear a suit for the first time in his life last year. Don’t expect to hear from Wembanyama, however, unless he calls into the show.
The coveted prospect is not attending the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago because his team is still playing international basketball. The big man is currently overseas suiting up for Metropolitans 92 in the French Jeep Elite league against Paris Basketball at Stade Pierre de Coubertin.
The club entered the game tied with ASVEL Basket for the second-best record in the league. ASVEL narrowly escaped with a win over JL Bourg, which made this a must-win game for Wembanyana.
Not often to the No. 1 overall lock has to play the day of the lottery. Wembanyama tipping off right now against Paris and 2022 2nd-rounder Ismael Kamagate. Any international scouts in the building will be there for Bilal Coulibaly, who obviously won't be in Chicago.
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) May 16, 2023
Wembanyama, indeed, led his team to victory behind 22 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in the final game of the regular season. The victory led Metropolitans 92 ahead of ASVEL for second place in the standings.
The performance helped Wembanyama secure the scoring title in the primary French league. He also led the league in rebounds, blocks, and total minutes.
Because of this schedule, Wembanayama and his teammate Bilal Coulibaly also cannot attend the 2023 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.
The top notable names that aren’t in the NBA Draft Combine are Victor Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly as they remain with the Mets 92 as they compete for a championship with the playoffs starting soon.
This won’t affect Victor obviously but curious on how teams evaluate Coulibaly… https://t.co/bIa8a0hbWH
— Global Scouting (@GlobalScouting_) May 9, 2023
As we wrote in our last mock draft, Coulibaly has played particularly well of late and could (and should) be a first-round draft pick as well.
The French Jeep Elite playoffs begin on May 23 and will potentially last until June 24 if the championship series extend to five games.
Meanwhile, the 2023 NBA Draft is June 22. So there could potentially be a real scheduling conflict if the Metropolitans 92 do well in the postseason and compete for a championship, but that’s something we won’t know for at least a few more weeks.
You can watch Wembanyama and Coulibaly during the playoffs for free via the NBA App.
