"It's very possible that he'll be the face of basketball. Not just NBA basketball, but world basketball," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

Victor Wembanyama was already a global basketball icon at a young age. With his height, length, ball handling, and shooting ability, he was considered the best prospect since LeBron James. Many people speculated that he would attract a large number of fans.

The story, as Buford tells it, goes like this: Claudio Crippa, an international scout for the Spurs, proposed going to see a youth game before checking out Doumbouya. Buford saw Wembanyama play for the first time that day. And the seeds for the Spurs’ new master plan were immediately planted.