Victor Wembanyama announces partnership with Louis Vuitton

French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama, who has become a star in the United States, announced that he would be the new brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton in an interview with GQ magazine published on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old basketball player, who is number 1 in the latest NBA draft for 2023 and plays for the San Antonio Spurs, explained that he wanted a “meaningful partnership”.

“For me, it made a lot of sense to be associated with LV. You know, French excellence,” explained the new basketball superstar.

Louis Vuitton, which confirmed the partnership on Wednesday, emphasised the French origins of the “rising star” of basketball, who began his career with the Nanterre club in the Hauts-De-Seine region of France, and his performances for the French national team.

“Like Louis Vuitton itself, the young athlete has paved the way, excelling in a career that has only just begun,” says the brand, without specifying the amount of the partnership.

Although he is only a “rookie”, Victor Wembanyama was in January the NBA’s second most-watched player on social networks, behind the “King” LeBron James.

The craze surrounding the phenomenon has continued unabated despite his team’s mixed results this year.

“The presence of +Wemby+ helps us to increase San Antonio’s popularity around the world,” said Javier Gonzalez, head of communications for the tourist office in the 7th most populous city in the United States, with a population of 1.4 million, in January.

Peter J. Holt, owner of the Spurs franchise, had also made two visits to Paris in October 2023 and again in January to explore the French market and forge future partnerships, buoyed by the “unique and special opportunity” presented by the Wembanyama rocket.