The team that helped to mold Victor Wembanyama into being the most hyped prospect since Lebron James, the Metropolitans 92, is set to disappear a year after the NBA Rookie of the Year left the team.
The buzz around Victor Wembanyama ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft was unreal. The talk was that he was a one-of-a-kind athlete who could be a generational talent in the NBA. In many ways, he seemed like a create-a-player out of a video game in being 7-foot-4 but able to ball handle like a guard and shoot three-pointers.
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- Victor Wembanyama height: 7-foot-4
However, his impressive abilities at 20 years old didn’t happen by accident. A lot of the credit must go to his LNB Elite team the Metropolitans 92. The French professional basketball squad did all it could to mold him into the highly-touted prospect he became — including signing former NBA trainers and players to prepare him for playing in the league.
That hard work paid off as Wembanyama was everything the San Antonio Spurs could have hoped for and then some in his debut season. He led the team in scoring, rebounds, and blocks en route to easily winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award for this past season. However, while the young star’s relationship with the Mets worked out for him, it sadly did not pay off for the French club.
Victor Wembanyama’s old French team was relegated after one season without him
On Tuesday, Le Parisien reported that the team is set to go out of business and has informed the LNB that they will not be a part of the league next season. The news comes after the team earned relegation to the Pro B league after having a disappointing first season without Wembanyama.
- Victor Wembanyama stats (2023-24): 21.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.2 SPG, 3.6 BPG, 33% 3PT
The team is funded by the city of Boulogne-Billancourt and after failing to find a buyer they have reportedly decided to stop funneling money to a basketball team that was relegated this past season and doesn’t seem to have a strong outlook going forward. It is a sad state after being put on the basketball world map this time last year as Victor Wembanyama led the team in the league’s playoffs.
Bilal Coulibaly was another talented young player from Metropolitans 92 that was taken in the 2023 NBA Draft.
