Until a few months ago, Levallois-Perret, a very bourgeois suburb on the northwestern outskirts of Paris, was known throughout France for the corruption scandal of its mayor for more than 30 years, Patrick Balkany. Now this city of 67,000 inhabitants is in the news for its basketball club, Metropolitans 92 (or Mets92), in which Victor Wembanyama, a phenom of 19 years and 2.21 meters tall, plays. He is expected, no less, to be the first choice of the NBA draft on June 22.

Wembanyama (or Wemby, as they call him in the United States), who surprised in October in exhibition matches in Las Vegas, is a classic unicorn. This is what they call extraordinary players of enormous size who, however, have the ease of movement and speed of much smaller players.

Watching Wemby on the court for the first time produces a certain anxiety because of the feeling of fragility. Very thin, legs and arms are endless and look like they should break off at any moment. It was necessary to hold your breath, on Friday, in the league match against Nancy, when the pivot wing revelation of French basketball fell violently to the ground after causing a foul. “When he arrives in the NBA, the first thing they will do is send him to the weight room – said a British colleague jokingly in the press gallery, when he saw the scene -. At least he will have to gain ten kilos”.

The Marcel Cerdan pavilion, with capacity for 2,800 spectators, is packed every time there is a match. Tickets fly in minutes as soon as they go on sale on the club’s website. Wembanyama is the main attraction. T-shirts with the player’s name are sold for 85 euros. “You have to come see him before he goes to the NBA,” said Louis, a young fan. “He is a very complete player and very agile for his size”, he added.

A large, life-size photograph of the star has been placed in the lobby of the pavilion for the public to take photos with and check the difference in height. When the game ends, the fans come to the side of the court for the player to sign autographs and shirts. It is a family atmosphere, with many children present.

Against Nancy, Wembanyama was quite discreet. He only scored 14 points. But his team prevailed by 93-87 and consolidated the second position in the championship, behind Monaco.

The coach, Vincent Collet, who is also the France coach, was critical of the player. “He must be more aggressive, get into the area more and try his luck – he declared -. He has a lot of talent, but he relaxed today. I think he was tired. At first he didn’t get it right and this has affected him. It happens with all the players.” Collet is a little tired of always being asked about his pupil’s imminent move to the NBA and the need for him to gain muscle mass. “Every day he works on his physique and strengthens himself”, concluded the coach.

In an interview with Le Parisien, in December, Wemby confessed that he did not sign for Barcelona in 2018 because his coaches did not warn him about his flaws. “I love to progress and I need to face challenges – he explained to the newspaper -. I like to be told things clearly, even if it’s unpleasant to listen to.”

According to LeBron James, the young Frenchman – of Congolese father – is more than a unicorn. After watching him play, he called him an “alien”. The boss of the NBA, Adam Silver, confirmed that he has “all the attributes” to succeed and that many teams are competing for him. The player’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye, wanted to be modest. “He must learn to be regular”, he remarked.

Humility is advisable, because the adventure in the NBA will not be a road of roses. As established by the balance rule in the United States championship, the Frenchman will start in a modest team. But Wemby has time. To fill out your muscles and, why not, to add maybe a few more inches. It’s been 19 years since.