The craziness of NBA life is about to begin for Wemby, but the Spurs have given him plenty of room to breathe

After a whirlwind week for the rookie big man, it's time to get down to business.

Agent Bouna Ndiaye stood courtside, leaning against the AT&T Center scorers table on Saturday, legs crossed, graciously entertaining conversation with anyone who would approach. It had been a long 72 hours for his client Victor Wembanyama — not to mention his whole family — but there seemed to be a feeling of calm and relief for the entire camp. That they were in their new home. That life was about to normalize after the whirlwind they’d experienced from the second they left France last week.

Only a couple of feet away sat R.C. Buford, the CEO of the organization that had just landed its grand prize, waiting patiently by as the representative for Wemby got the attention he deserved. He wanted to talk to Ndiaye, but there was little chance to do so while all of us vultures were swarming around. So he retreated to the back of the building to retrieve some bottles of water for anyone who needed them as the superstar agent did his thing. Buford couldn’t have been happier to celebrate the serendipity of the moment, as he and Gregg Popovich had described it. Everything they’d aimed for hit the target, and now was a time to finally exhale before business as usual kicked back into gear.

And along the baseline nearest the stage set up for Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko to introduce themselves, Spurs managing partner Peter J. Holt stood by himself after the proceedings. Just watching. Typically, people in his position aren’t hanging out on their own, or sometimes not even hanging out at all. But the youngest majority owner in the NBA (36) was taking everything in along with the rest of the crowd still in attendance.

Holt had a slightly different mindset about the whole situation, though. As he mentioned on lottery night, serendipity isn’t really his thing. He believed (and believes) “good things happen to good people,” and given the organization’s history, and considering the work they’d put into everything they’ve done in recent years — whether it be from the standpoint of basketball, business or community — it’s difficult to look him in the face and chalk this one up to simple good fortune. It all felt preordained, as though the basketball gods agreed fully with Holt’s modus operandi.

And San Antonio was prepared for all of it. Making a grounded and cerebral superstar feel at home is no problem in this city, especially when he’s already got the mindset in place that he wants to “return the love.” And there was a formulated process laid out in front of him that made a blur of a timeframe easy to handle. Relatively speaking, of course.

The Spurs do many things well, but high atop the list is making sure their players feel they belong.

The welcoming party at the airport, with water cannons and many hundreds of locals showing Wembanyama how to deal with a heat index of 110 degrees; the unmarked, nondescript brown bag full of bacon-and-egg and bean-and-cheese breakfast tacos delivered to the big man before he left the scene in a sprinter van; the ensuing dinner with local basketball luminaries Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili and Sean Elliott; the next morning’s introduction to a sold out Arneson River Theatre, the site of five different title celebrations — it was all done to give this new family a sense they’d arrived in a place they could call home. All these years later, the five men I just mentioned still do. And that stuff matters.

There was a gigantic smile on Ndiaye’s face when asked about the evening his client experienced some 16 hours prior at Bliss, a restaurant in Southtown. One that expressed relief and certainty, and a confidence they’d landed in the right place. “Best dinner of his life,” he said.

“It’s difficult to actually challenge Victor (because of his talent),” Ndiaye continued. “But when you’re sitting across from Pop, Tim, David, Manu, Sean...”

Again, he stopped and smiled, as if it was all too perfect. It was what they wanted all along, and now their group has a Hall-of-Fame support system residing in their backyard. And Victor is keenly aware of his situation.

“It’s so comforting to see these people who are so important to the city of San Antonio and the franchise, are such kind people. And generous. Because they genuinely wanted to share their experience,” Wembanyama said. “And I feel like they’ve already started to take great care of me. It’s just so comforting to be in that position.”

Former NBA players — especially those whose hometown is in a different country or territory like Manu and Tim, respectively — do not often stick around small markets once their playing days are over. But so many have remained in San Antonio, or at the very least have residences in town, that it’s begun to resonate with people. The “culture” stuff, the “family” stuff, the “community” stuff… it isn’t a marketing scheme or some type of pandering to the city. It’s all very real. And these men were ready to introduce a teenager to the place they call home, and offer to help him grasp what that truly means.

To his credit, Victor expressed a level of gratitude and understanding of responsibility that certainly wasn’t required in a vacuum upon arrival. Any team would make exceptions or adjust its focus for a talent like this, and San Antonio is no different. But the fact he showed interest and an early feel for what it means to be the ‘Face of the Spurs,’ and that he’s fully open to lean on some of the best in the world to have ever played or coached the game puts things in perspective. San Antonio may have found a true pillar once more, and not just from a basketball standpoint. This kid just seems to get it, no matter if you’re talking life, family or civic duty — all the things that matter.

Wembanyama has always operated with extreme professionalism and care, which gives him a wonderful chance to succeed in an environment that values such traits. But things are about to change quickly. Pressure is on the horizon, even as San Antonio inevitably alleviates a significant amount of it moving forward, and winning immediately isn’t a realistic expectation.

The sport is coming for him, however you wanna slice it.

He’s never played against LeBron James. He’s never had to deal with a Giannis Antetokounmpo drive to the basket, and the force that comes along with it. What about Luka Doncic’s mid-range artistry, or Ja Morant loading up to dunk on whoever is in front of him? Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are going to bury him near the rim when they get the chance, because it’s what they do to everyone. Then there’s Kyrie Irving’s crossover, and Kevin Durant’s pull-up, and oh yeah… being left alone on an island with Stephen Curry 30 feet from the basket. Insert your desired name here, because the world is ready to test the most hyped player since the aforementioned King James himself. Get ready, Victor.

But be prepared yourself, NBA, because you’ve never seen anything like this kid, either. The physical dimensions combined with the fluid athleticism are going to warp the game in a way that won’t seem normal. This is a league of giants, just not one like this. Much like Steph is in Golden State, Wembanyama is something different, and will likely completely change the sport so long as he stays healthy.

Even seasoned NBA veterans will fall victim to his ability to close in on layups and jumpers alike on the defensive side of the ball; they’ll have no precedent for a player of his size who’s able to shoot and score in ways more creative than what’s been established in the past from the biggest of big men; and the normal rules of the game will no longer apply. There isn’t a way to prepare for what Wemby is able to do on a court.

There just isn’t.

But even as the success goes hand in hand with the bumps and bruises — and there will be plenty of bumps and bruises along the way — Wembanyama will be able to fall back on people who have been through all of it before at the highest levels. It may be a little different, in that the big kid from Le Chesnay, France, won’t have an established all-time great playing alongside him the way Duncan had Robinson, but their voices will be in the building whenever he needs them.

Don’t discount the teammates in that locker room, either. They all want the same thing Victor does, and they’ve been preparing for it all summer. Keldon Johnson, who along with Jeremy Sochan and Sandro Mamukelashvili was at the presser introducing Wemby and Cissoko taking pictures with fans and their children, said the whole group has been in the practice facility every day — a space Popovich has been observing as well.

“The guys who played for us last year, and who are continuing, have had a great summer. And I mean that with all my heart — a great summer,” Pop stressed. “All the players, individually, with skills — understanding how we need to play in this league as they get older and develop, have been great. We’re very excited to put them with Victor, to say the least.”

Whether it was a product of serendipity, or a payment from the basketball gods, the Spurs got their guy. And either way, as Buford said Saturday, it’s all “surreal” that this is happening all over again. There’s a reason why he, Ndiaye, Holt and everyone else in the building over the weekend were all smiles.

Now, as practices begin Thursday afternoon in preparation for Summer League, and free agency is soon to open, it’s back to business for a franchise that knows how to handle a star.

Whether he’s able to follow in his predecessors’ footsteps remains to be seen, but those predecessors have left one hell of a blueprint.

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