Background and career
Victor Nonga Wembanyama-de Fautereau-Vassel ( WEM-bən-YAH-mə; French: [viktɔʁ wɛmbanjama]; born 4 January 2004), nicknamed "Wemby" and "the Alien", is a French professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected first overall by the Spurs in the 2023 NBA draft and is considered one of the best basketball prospects ever due to his rare combination of height, agility, and skills.
Wembanyama began his professional career at age 15 with Nanterre 92 of the LNB Pro A in 2019. Two years later, he moved to ASVEL and won the Pro A title in his only season with the team. In the 2022–23 season, Wembanyama signed with Metropolitans 92 and became the youngest player to win the Pro A MVP award, while earning Pro A Best Defender honours and leading the league in scoring, rebounds and blocks. He was unanimously named an LNB All-Star twice, winning the All-Star Game MVP once, and was a three-time Pro A Best Young Player from 2021 to 2023.
Following a historic rookie season in the NBA in which he led the league in blocks per game, Wembanyama was unanimously named the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year and became the first rookie and youngest player ever to be named to the All-Defensive First Team. During the 2025–26 season, Wembanyama became the youngest and first unanimous winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award. That same year, he led the Spurs to the NBA Finals in his first postseason appearance.
Wembanyama also plays for the French national team, with whom he won a silver medal at the 2024 Olympics. At the youth level, he led his team to two silver medals, including at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, where he set the FIBA record for blocks per game in a single tournament.
Victor Nonga Wembanyama-de Fautereau-Vassel was born on 4 January 2004, in Le Chesnay, in the Paris region. His father, Félix, was born in Belgium and is of Congolese origin. He was a track and field athlete who competed in the high jump, long jump and triple jump. Félix acquired French nationality by naturalisation on 10 February 2003. Victor's mother, Élodie de Fautereau, is a French basketball coach and former player. Wembanyama's father and mother are 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) and 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) tall, respectively. His older sister, Ève, plays basketball professionally, and his younger brother, Oscar, has played basketball and handball at the youth level. His maternal grandfather, Michel de Fautereau, played professional basketball, and his grandmother, Marie-Christine, also played the sport.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
