No 7-foot-4 human walking the Earth has ever possessed Victor Wembanyama's skills on a basketball court. As such, to deem the Spurs rookie an extraterrestrial being would be justifiable.
To Wemby's credit, he's embraced being the NBA's resident alien. From sporting a Slenderman costume on Halloween to wearing alien-themed Nike shoes at February's Rising Stars Game, the Spurs phenom is all in on branding himself as someone not of this Earth.
Now, Nike has seized the opportunity to further market Wemby as an alien. On the day of the total solar eclipse, the shoe giant dropped a video teaser that seemingly unveils the logo of Wemby's upcoming signature shoe line. The video begins with the text "Somewhere In South Texas" — a nod to San Antonio — and ends with a giant logo appearing on a field. As seen below, the unique logo is an amalgamation of a basketball, Nike's patented Swoosh motifs and the face of an alien.
The total eclipse has just begun. pic.twitter.com/ihGr5mFzai
— Nike Basketball (@nikebasketball) April 8, 2024
The French superstar's first signature shoe line is expected to hit the shelves within the next year. In the meantime, Wemby has been rocking customized Nike GT Hustles, recently debuting his "Alien" Nike GT Hustle 2 PEs as a nod to his moniker. The shoe will hit the stores on May 3.
Victor Wembanyama’s Nike GT Hustle 2 "Alien" is set to drop in May @wemby pic.twitter.com/B69vq8Ebsm
— Nice Kicks (@nicekicks) April 2, 2024
LeBron James was the first to call Wembanyama "an alien" while discussing the Frenchman's unique skillset in late 2022, nearly a year before the 7-footer's NBA debut, via NBC Sports. In a subsequent conversation with Sports Illustrated, Wemby thanked James for giving him the nickname.
"I like it because it's just something not from this world," Wemby said of James' praise. via Sports Illustrated. "I like being called an alien, yeah. It's really what I'm working to be — something unique and original."
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