Rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama could become the first professional basketball player to earn $1 billion on the court.
The 7-foot 4-inch (224-centimeter) tall French phenom, who turned 20 on Thursday, was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the top pick in the 2023 National Basketball Association draft. The team signed him to a four-year, $55.2 million rookie contract, the largest possible deal under the U.S. league’s current labor agreement.
The pact represents a first step toward what could be a historically lucrative playing career. While several well-known basketball players have become rich with help from endorsement deals and other business ventures, Wembanyama, who grew up in the Paris suburb of Le Chesnay, stands to enter the ranks of the ultrawealthy purely by lacing up his sneakers and stepping onto the hardwood night in and night out.