With a once-in-a-generation talent set to play in the league next year, the NBA is already investing in coverage of the would-be superstar.
On Thursday, the NBA announced that all games featuring Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 — starring French superstar Victor Wembanyama — will be streamed for free on the league’s app, starting with the team’s game against JL Bourg Basket on Oct. 29.
Metropolitans 92 play in LNB Betclic ELITE — the top tier of professional basketball in France. LNB will be the first non-NBA affiliated league to have its games shown on the reimagined app.
The NBA app is set to stream several marquee events for LNB, including Leaders Cup Games (Feb. 17-19) and the LNB All-Star Game (Dec. 29). It’s all part of the league’s long-term plan to bring fans live basketball from around the world.
Wembanyama — a 7-foot-3 power forward with excellent shooting — is the consensus No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Whichever team has the privilege of picking him will have a hefty salary to pay: The first-year salary on the 2023-24 rooke scale is almost $10 million — with teams having the option to pay as much as 120% more than that or 80% less than that.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski, Wembanyama could add up to $500 million in value for a franchise.
