Superstardom is certainly on the horizon for San Antonio Spurs Center, Victor Wembanyama. Tabbed a "generational talent", Wemby is having a stellar rookie season where he is on pace to win the NBA's Rookie of the Year award later this year.
With all the buzz and aura Wemby brings to the NBA, it should come as no surprise when a prominent brand signs such a transcendent star on an endorsement deal. And that's exactly what's happened as French luxury brand Louis Vuitton announced they signed the 20-year-old French phenom as an ambassador, with the goal of "showcasing French excellence".
The Wembanyama x Louis Vuitton partnership is a match made in heaven of course.
Victor Wembanyama for Louis Vuitton. Embodying the bold vision of Men's Creative Director @Pharrell's debut collection, @wemby, the number one pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, joins the Maison as a new House Ambassador. #VictorWembanyama #PharrellWilliams #LouisVuitton pic.twitter.com/eJgevGazQY
— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) February 20, 2024
A native of Le Chesnay, a western suburb of Paris, Wembanyama was tailor-made for a successful sports career as both of his parents came from athletic backgrounds. His father, Felix, a Congolese/Belgian-born national and later naturalized French citizen, competed in track and field. His mother, Élodie, specialized in basketball as both a player and coach. And Vic's large frame is no stranger to the Wembanyama family, as his father is 6'6" and his mother is 6'3". While Victor initially focused on football and judo early on, he was later introduced to playing competitive basketball through his mother.
Wembanyama's achievements in basketball saw him as a member of three French basketball clubs of the LNB Pro A before being drafted first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. He spent time with the Nanterre 92 senior team from 2019-21, ASVEL Basket from 2021-22, and finally Metropolitans 92 from 2022-23.
Though not a common brand known for signing athletes to endorsement deals, Louis Vuitton has tinkered with other athletes in the past for Maison ambassador roles, including tennis virtuosos Naomi Osaka and Carlos Alcaraz, swimmer Leon Marchand, and previous work with European football greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Seeing as Victor Wembanyama is on a solid trajectory to become one of the NBA's most recognizable names and his French heritage, it seemed like only a matter of time before the French brand would affiliate itself with Wemby. And with two big events set to take over soon, Paris Fashion Week, where NBA players are no stranger to being on showcase, and the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, where Wemby has said he's committed to playing for the French national team, the signing couldn't be of better timing.