He had just dropped hoops jewels for kids in attendance, advising them to "work on your weaknesses so they become your strengths. Those words whipped the crowd into chants of "Wemby, Wemby, Wemby," as the year-old from France scanned the sea of phones held high by fans looking to chronicle this moment. But the sentiment was nothing new.
Almost two weeks prior, Wembanyama promised the weekend in San Francisco would be business as usual. Stephen Curry earned that honor. But the first-time All-Star still had a successful work trip. It's done. I didn't make any friends. But I learned a lot. I asked a lot of questions, and I got a lot of very interesting answers. It was a pleasure to share the floor with these experienced players.
Usually, at this juncture of San Antonio's monthlong trek, road weariness starts to set in for the Spurs. Maybe it played a role in Wembanyama attempting just six shots and being held to seven points in the second half against the Celtics. But he flashed youthful enthusiasm in the aftermath of that loss when discussing goals for his first NBA All-Star Game. I hope I can bring that contrast with a single guy who goes crazy, dives on the ball, hustles on every play. I'm definitely going to try to bring that energy.
So, after a workout, postgame interviews and a treatment session, Wembanyama boarded a flight that night in Boston with teammate Stephon Castle bound for San Francisco, while the rest of the team headed home to rest up during All-Star break.
Wembanyama and Castle landed in San Francisco at 4 a. Thursday and headed straight to the St. Regis hotel via a passenger van. By noon, Wembanyama was leaving the hotel for a private fitting with Nike, his first commitment in a day chock full of them. He played games with various contest winners in attendance, in addition to filming content with multiple social media influencers.
