Spurs' Victor Wembanyama 'Not Really a Big Fan' of Unicorn Nickname; Prefers 'Alien'

Victor Wembanyama is not a fan of the "unicorn" nickname given to him.

Instead, the San Antonio Spurs rookie prefers the "alien" nickname given to him by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.

"That nickname's been used over and over, so I'm not really a big fan of it," Wembanyama told reporters Wednesday ahead of a matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. "Just like LeBron said, everybody's been a unicorn. There's just one alien, right?"

James gave Wembanyama the "alien" nickname in December ahead of the 2023 NBA draft.

"We're labeling like this unicorn thing—everybody's been a unicorn over the last few years," James said at the time. "But he's more like an alien—no one has seen anyone as tall as he is but as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor."

The Frenchman previously expressed his affinity for the nickname in a Sports Illustrated profile in February.

"First of all, I'm really glad he said that because I didn't like to be called a unicorn," Wembanyama said. "I like it because it's just something not from this world. I like being called an alien, yeah. It's really what I'm working to be—something unique and original."

Wembanyama even wore an alien-like green Louis Vuitton suit to the draft in an apparent nod to James' comments.

"The color green, it looks kinda outer space, you know...alien-like. Green's a color I really like," Wembanyama said of his draft outfit at the time.

Wembanyama is already living up to the hype during his rookie season. Through seven games, he's averaging 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.6 blocks while shooting 46.2 percent from the floor and 32.4 percent from deep.

The 19-year-old is one of the front-runners for Rookie of the Year honors, and he might get All-Star consideration as well.

If one thing's for sure, it's that the "alien" should only get better as the season progresses.