Failure in Victor Wembanyama pursuit made Michael Jordan QUIT on $1.7 billion dream
Victor Wembanyama will be a part of the 2023 NBA Draft.
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Michael Jordan (L- Image via AP) and Victor Wembanyama (R- Image via Michel Euler/AP)
Victor Wembanyama is considered one of the most talented prospects the NBA has seen. Many fans and critics are excited to see the young French center come out and play in the NBA. On the other hand, many franchises, too, were hoping to get the number one overall pick in the Draft Lottery. One of them was Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Hornets.
The Charlotte Hornets have not had a great run the past few seasons. This NBA season, they had a 27-55 record standing at 14th place. With disappointing runs year after year, the Hornets hoped to land the first overall pick and add Wembanyama to their roster. Much to Jordan’s dismay, they missed it by a whisker, as Charlotte has the second overall pick. After the Draft Lottery, reports of Jordan looking to sell major portions of the team’s stake have surfaced and intensified.
The iconic Chicago Bulls guard purchased his stake in the Hornets in 2010 for $275 million. This made Jordan the only Black team owner in the NBA. In 2019, Jordan sold a portion of the Hornets to Gabriel Plotkin (founder of Melvin Capital) and Daniel Sundheim (of DI Capital), although Jordan still owned the majority of the stakes. Today, the Hornets are reported to be worth $1.7 billion.
According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, “Jordan was awaiting the possibility of landing the No. 1 pick before deciding whether to proceed with a sale.” However, Adrian Wojnarowski had reported in March that Jordan was “engaged in serious talks to sell a majority stake in the franchise to a group led by Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin and Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall.”
Who could Victor Wembanyama be drafted by?
There’s no doubt that every team eligible for the earlier picks in the 2023 NBA Draft is interested in Victor Wembanyama. However, it is unlikely that the teams lower in the pick order would get a chance to draft him. The San Antonio Spurs have got the first overall pick in the 2023 NNBA Draft, as announced in the lottery.
Immediately after the Spurs landed the number one pick, Wembanyama was an absolutely certain pick. Undoubtedly, the other teams, like Michael Jordan‘s Charlotte Hornets would’ve been upset. On the other hand, fans are already celebrating that the Spurs have a sensational and generational talent at their disposal.
The San Antonio Spurs have had a very disappointing set of seasons in the past few years. Once a dynasty, the Spurs haven’t won a championship since 2014. Moreover, they were among the bottom teams of the Western Conference with a 22-60 record. Landing someone like Victor Wembanyama might just be the fortune-changing moment for the franchise.
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