Rest assured, everyone. Victor Wembanyama knows exactly who Tom Brady is.
The No. 1-overall pick and San Antonio Spurs post player actually went to dinner with the seven-time Super Bowl champion on Tuesday night.
There was some curiosity about how much the Parisian, and huge soccer fan, would know about the American football star since the latter isn’t a European staple.
“I know about Tom Brady,” Wembanyama told the horde of reporters on Tuesday.
With the top pick about to make his Madison Square Garden debut in the Spurs game against the New York Knicks, Wembanyama met with Brady.
“It feels really good to see successful but happy people,” Wembanyama told The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. “He just looks like he is happy with the life he’s got, and he makes other people around happy.”
The picture started making the rounds after Brady posted the photo on Instagram and made light of not only his height difference with the 7-foot-4 rookie, but his former teammate Julian Edelman’s too.
“Awesome to meet you [Wembanyama],” Brady wrote. “Incredible young man. Usually I’d make some joke here about how I think I could get 10 and 10 against you, but let’s be real… you’d send my jumper into the club level.
“PS: [Edelman,] this is how you felt all those years???”
Michael Rubin, who attended a dinner with Brady and Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud in October, was to thank for the meeting between Wembanyama and the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal caller. The Athletic was told by a Spurs official that Rubin, the billionaire co-owner of Fanatics, set up the dinner between his clients and was once again present.
“I really liked the vibe from him, very humble and interesting, but also interested [in other people],” Wembanyama said.
The 19 year old will play under the bright lights of MSG at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. His anticipated competitor for the evening, Mitchell Robinson told reporters he’s up for the challenging assignment and shared some of his approach for the game.
“I’m going to play him just like he’s one of those like Kristaps Porzingis, kind of [players],” Robinson said in the locker room. Who else plays like that? Bol Bol? Just got a mix them two together. I kind of got a feel for how it should go.”
Wembanyama enters the game, as the Spurs leading rebounder (8.4 rpg) and tied with guard Devin Vassell as San Antonio’s top scorer (19.4 ppg). He has three double-doubles through seven games and Wembanyama is less than a week removed from his breakout, 38-point performance against the Phoenix Suns.
