NBA Exec Says He'd Draft Victor Wembanyama No. 1 Even 'If He Breaks Both Legs'

Victor Wembanyama is such a rare talent that not even a catastrophic injury would stop at least one NBA executive from selecting him No. 1 overall in the 2023 NBA draft.

An anonymous executive from a Western Conference team told The Athletic's David Aldridge that Wembanyama would be the top pick for them even if he broke both legs before the draft.

"Wembanyama has essentially told everybody, even though I’m the No. 1 pick in the draft, I’m not going to shut it down and sit and wait," the executive said. "Right there, he just solidified—if he breaks both legs, I’ll still draft him No. 1 and wait for him. The guys that scare me the most are the guys who won’t compete. And this kid says, ‘I like playing. And the only way I’m going to get better is by playing.’"

It's not unusual to see teams bet on a wildly talented player with injury concerns at the top of the draft.

Joel Embiid missed the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments while playing for the University of Kansas because of a stress fracture in his back. He also had foot surgery in the days leading up to the 2014 NBA draft, but the Philadelphia 76ers selected him No. 3 overall.

Injuries wound up keeping Embiid out for his first two NBA seasons, but he's been one of the most dominant players in the league since the 2016-17 season.

A lot of the time when injuries happen to a top prospect, it comes after they have been drafted. Ben Simmons missed the entire 2016-17 campaign after suffering a foot injury during training camp. Zion Williamson tore his meniscus during training camp and was limited to 24 games as a rookie in 2019-20.

Wembanyama's hype has reached heights that haven't been since LeBron James in 2003. The 18-year-old French superstar dropped 37 points on 7-of-11 three-point shooting, five blocks and four rebounds for the Metropolitans 92 in a 122-115 loss to the G League Ignite on Oct. 4.

ESPN NBA draft analyst Mike Schmitz called Wembanyama "the best prospect I've personally ever evaluated."

There could be a race to the bottom of the NBA standings among several teams this season as they jockey to secure the No. 1 pick.

If one Western Conference executive has no issues selecting Wembanyama if both his legs were broken, it's unlikely many other teams would have qualms betting on him eventually turning into a superstar even if injuries were a concern.