After securing top rookie honors during his first NBA season and leading France to the finals during the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, the future looks bright for Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Last season's unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year award-winner Victor Wembanyama has not only lived up to the hype but is already redefining what a big man is capable of in the NBA. At only 20 years old, the young, towering Frenchman is already the future of the league, showing off a unique and agile skillset for a player of his stature. Even scarier for opposing teams, the 7'4" San Antonio Spurs center is just getting started.
Beginning his professional career at only 15 years old, Wembanyama was playing against men twice his age in France's pro basketball leagues. He was a force to be reckoned with even before finishing grade school, and eventually caught the attention of every scout in the NBA. Upon declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft, he became arguably the most exciting young prospect to enter the league since LeBron James.
Drafted No. 1 overall by San Antonio, Wembanyama now follows in the footsteps of the Spurs' legendary big men, David Robinson and Tim Duncan. After only one season in Texas, it's clear the torch is in good hands. He finished his debut season averaging 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game. In addition, he was the NBA's top shot blocker, leading the entire league with 3.6 blocks per game as a rookie. For his efforts last season, Wembanyama earned Rookie of the Year honors, an NBA All-Rookie First Team selection and NBA All-Defensive First Team selection.
Following his first season in the NBA, Wembanyama joined Team France and competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, leading his country to a Silver Medal performance in a close championship game against Team USA. Going into season two, the sky seems to be the limit for the young phenom, as he looks poised to make the San Antonio Spurs perennial playoff contenders once again, as the franchise seeks their sixth NBA title and first since 2014.
Ten Terrific Cards of Victor Wembanyama
2022-23 Bowman University Best #51 Victor Wembanyama - Refractor
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Bowman University Best provided collectors with their first chance to get their hands on a mainstream release of Victor Wembanyama's cards. Dating back to his pro days in France during the 2022-23 season, the card shows the basketball star as a teenager playing for Metropolitans 92. An in-game action shot of Wembanyama with the ball on this Refractor parallel makes for a great pre-NBA issue.
2022-23 Bowman University Best Autographs #BOA-VW Victor Wembanyama
Similar to the first card on our list, our next featured card also comes from the Bowman University Best set. Although a Refractor is often hard to beat, pulling an autographed copy of an early Wembanyama card takes the cake. The rare insert has Wemby's autograph prominently signed in blue ink in the center of the card, making this one of his more valuable pre-NBA cards.
2022-23 Bowman University Chrome Autographs #101 Victor Wembanyama
Collectors often seek out Bowman's popular "1st Bowman" cards since they're often one of if not the earliest issues from an athletes' pro career. That's the case with this gem of a card, which is not only Victor Wembanyama's "1st Bowman" issue but the hand-signed version of it. Add in the fact that this particular card earned the coveted grade of CGC Pristine 10, and this is a collectible that any sports card collector would envy.
2023 Topps Now Relics #472A Victor Wembanyama - Full Color
The 2023 NBA Draft was held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It was already well-known that the San Antonio Spurs would likely select Victor Wembanyama with the first pick of the draft. Two days prior to the draft, and with plenty of buzz already surrounding the 19-year-old, the Frenchman was invited by the New York Yankees to throw out the first pitch of their June 20, 2023 game. Topps Now celebrated the moment by taking the Yankees jersey he wore and turning it into relic cards, which sold out immediately on the Topps website.
2023 Topps Now Draft Autographs #D-1B Victor Wembanyama - Silver
Two days later, Topps Now had another occasion to commemorate when Victor Wembanyama was officially selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. This historic card shows the French center in his draft day suit, and to make it even better, it's an autographed copy that is serial numbered to just 99 made. The only thing that could improve this amazing card even more? The coveted grade of CGC Pristine 10!
2023 Topps Allen & Ginter X #271 Victor Wembanyama
As the 2023-24 NBA season approached, collectors were itching to get their hands on Victor Wembanyama collectibles. The always popular vintage-inspired Allen & Ginter baseball card set filled that need a month before the NBA season began. Per usual, the 2023 A&G set featured numerous celebrities, pop culture icons and athletes from other sports. The set gave collectors a unique opportunity to find cards of the 7'4" Frenchman previous to his first official issues with the San Antonio Spurs. That's what makes this is a perfect addition to any Wembanyama collection, and it's one that won't break the bank.
2023 Panini Prizm Draft Picks #2 Victor Wembanyama - Blue Ice
Similar to Bowman University, Panini's Prizm Draft Picks set gives collectors the chance to acquire cards of athletes before turning pro. Released in late October, just as the NBA season tipped off, this is one of the last releases that featured Victor Wembanyama still in his Metropolitans 92 jersey. As always, the parallels of Prizm cards are hot commodities, and this attractive Blue Ice version of the card that is numbered to only 99 made is no different.
2023 Panini Hoops Presentations #20 Victor Wembanyama
As the NBA season got underway, Panini's classic Hoops set released and gave fans the first traditional rookie cards of the 2023 NBA Draft class, including the No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama. One of the rarer inserts in the checklist is Presentations cards that feature illustrated images of some of the top NBA veterans and young stars. Wembanyama's card is a black and white illustrated portrait that stands out, making this one of the more unique and fun collectibles on this list.
2023-24 Panini Prizm #136 Victor Wembanyama - Glitter
No modern rookie card collection is complete without an addition of a player's debut card from the Panini Prizm sets. Already highly sought after and one of Victor Wembanyama's most valuable base rookie cards, collectors ripped packs hoping to find the coveted parallels of the rookie issue like this Glitter version. In Gem Mint condition like this particular card, it's easily worth thousands of dollars and is one of the most valuable non-autographed cards of his young career so far.
2023-24 Donruss Elite Clear Path #4 Victor Wembanyama - International Gold
Released late in the 2023-34 NBA season in March, the Donruss Elite set had some true gems among its checklist, like this acetate Clear Path insert. One of the most attractive card designs on our list, the clear acetate cardstock with its intricate gold background truly stands out. While it can be a reasonably priced card in its base version, this International Gold parallel is serial numbered to only 10 ever created, making this an extremely rare card and one of the most valuable cards on our list.