Wembanyama, the special shoes number 57 and the subdued debut – Corriere.it

He will also be the new unicorn of basketball, he will also be a player who can define new parameters in the game, but for now Victor Wembanyama a 19 year old boy who can feel the weight of waiting and the pressures that surround him. In the corner: the French debut, designated alien of the baskets (according to a concept even expressed by LeBron James), was not memorable at all and the 17,500 spectators who guaranteed the sold out in the Las Vegas facility hosts one of the Summer Leagues – the second time it happens: the first happened in 2019 for the debut of Zion Williamson – they were quite disappointed.

The only positive for VW the victory of his San Antonio Spurs over the Charlotte Hornets, with a score (76-68) not from professional basketball. Wembanyama finished with 9 points, a terrible 2 of 13 shooting (1 of 6 in triples), 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 blocks, the latter by far the most positive voice and in line with the characteristics of the player. In short , after the turbulent eve with the incident between his dedicated security staff and Britney Spears (the pop star, who wanted a selfie with Victor, claims she was hit by a slap), here are the obstacles of the first official match. serious and definitive, in the end it fits. But this complicated starting step is a lesson and the boy grasped it: On the positive side, I only take the victory and the pride of having worn the Spurs shirt. I didn’t quite know what I was doing on the pitch: I have to react, learn and improve my physical form because in the end I was very tired.

Meanwhile, curiosities continue to flourish around the unicorn. After the one relating to his real stature, one relating to the Draft ceremony filtered, in which he was named first overall choice (selected precisely by San Antonio Spurs). Wembanyama called those responsible for JM Weston and the French company that prepares his shoes found itself faced with the need to suddenly change what it had acquired in 130 years of history. VW carries the 57 and he wanted a model that, in addition to adapting to his size, would give him comfort and lightness.

In an interview with Le ParisienGilles Aulib, public relations manager of the shoe factory explained how difficult it was for the craftsmen to comply with the request: it was the most complex pair of shoes we had to make, also due to the need to make it available by a certain date. Victor called us and explained that he wanted to match the suit chosen for the Draft with a pair of shoes that came from France. They told him it was possible but that he had to come to the factory to scan his foot, that thin, long and muscular. The workers had to use particular and alternative techniques, something like this had never been done, also given the particular dimensions. Finally Wembanyama asked that the color be coordinated with that of the dress.

The 57 used by VM is not a record size. Was for example also the number of Arvydas Sabonis and, if we remember correctly, Shaquille O’Neal had a 58 (European size, of course). According to the Guinness Book of Records, the longest foot of a human of the Venezuelan Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez: 2.20 meters tall, wear shoes number 59 and its limbs measure 40.1 centimeters (right) and 39.6 (left). Only a 57, however, the size of the former record holder, the Turkish Sultan Kosen: for him a giant of 2.51 metres. So, on closer inspection,… he has a small foot.