The Wembanyama Effect: How A Teenager Can Impact The Fortunes Of A Sports Franchise And Its' City

The Victor Wembanyama era in the NBA is underway and the fruits of his mere presence has already paid dividends for the NBA, and especially in the city of San Antonio.

Wembanyama or “Wemby” has been revered for some time as one of the best prospects in basketball history due to his abnormal combination of size, length and skillset. The 19 year-old Frenchman also possesses a rare sense of maturity for his age that seems to give him the ability to handle the unfair pressure he has and will continue to weather for his career.

A player of Wembanyama's aura comes around a few times in a lifetime. A player like him is the reason the NBA draft lottery is called what it is. A jersey worn in the second half of Wembanyama's NBA debut against the Dallas Mavericks sold for a record setting $762,000 earlier this month, according to fine arts company Sotheby's.

His selection as the top overall pick in June’s draft transforms San Antonio’s fortunes for the short term, at least. We’ve seen players have economic effects on a city, most notably LeBron James in Cleveland. More recently, Zion Williamson' initial explosion to the league jolted New Orleans to the forefront of the league's most intriguing teams. While he’ll still have to perform for there to be longer term effects someone like James had, Wembenyama is one of the few individuals that has the potential to change things in a big way for a city.

1. Local business

It's not difficult to know that having a successful sports team creates more business locally, especially on game days. Attending an NBA game is a whole night event for many - an experience. People enjoy the aspects of what the city has to offer before and after the actual game is played. For restaurants and bars surrounding the arenas, they sometimes rely on the fans in season play.

According to ESPNs attendance report, in 2022, the Spurs ranked towards the bottom of the league in home game attendance (15,014 on average per night) and percentage of the arena filled (81.8%). That has changed this season to 18,384 attendees per night and an astounding 100.2% of the arena filled to watch Wembanyama play.

There is no dollar amount you can place on the value Wembanyama has generated for the surrounding businesses, so far. But for a Spurs team that has one of the league’s worst records to still attract one of the highest attendances means they have something extraordinary and businesses will benefit.

In a city like San Antonio with only one professional sports franchise, there will always be an attraction to Spurs games. The franchise has a rich history, winning the fifth most NBA championships amongst all teams (5). But the NBA is a player-driven league, and having something abnormal like Wemby creates a huge attraction to the city.

2. International notoriety

Wembanyama was a global sensation before he stepped on an NBA floor. Him being a sought after prospect from Europe is a perfect marriage for expanding his own brand, along with the Spurs’ name.

In the early 2000s, Yao Ming brought basketball to Asia; to this day, Ming is still one of China’s most famous athletes, if not the most famous. Around the same time, Manu Ginobli helped the Spurs sustain a consistent level of success that translated to four titles. He was also the catalyst for an Argentina team that took out Team USA in the 2004 Olympic games. The game has exploded internationally to where a handful of the league’s current elite players are from outside the U.S. border. Wembanyama won’t have to blaze trails as he enters the league as an international star, but rather simply reap the benefits that those before him have created.

For San Antonio, this means an increase in worldwide notoriety - merchandise sales will rise and people will travel from all over to watch him play. According to StubHub, for the 2023-24 season, the Spurs rank sixth as the most sought-after visiting team based on the highest average ticket prices for their cumulative away schedule. If Wembanyama can live up to his unworldly potential, people will also tune in from all over to watch on TV. And if the Spurs can find success soon as a team, the sky's the limit for their popularity.

3. National TV presence

Social media may be how many fans consume their sports content, but the money still lies in telvision. Similar to other major sports, the NBA relies significantly on television revenue as a major source of income. A considerable number of basketball enthusiasts choose to watch games from the comfort of their homes through cable or streaming services, contributing to the rapid growth of the NBA's advertising revenue and television contracts. Prior to the 2016-2017 season, TNT and ESPN extended their contracts in a nine-year deal, totaling an estimated $24 billion. As part of this agreement, the NBA receives around $2.6 billion annually, covering the average salaries of the league's players and then some.

During this season, the Spurs are set to appear on national television 19 times, with eleven of those games scheduled on ESPN or TNT. This marks a significant increase compared to last year when the Spurs only had one game on ESPN and three on NBA TV. The rise in national exposure is directly attributed to the selection of Wembanyama. You could argue the Spurs should be slated for more national TV games given his already glowing popularity - however the team may need to follow up with winning.

As long as Wemby remains in good health, the Spurs national TV audience will rise. With the new NBA In-Season Tournament off to a successful start in terms of viewership, the regular season may become even more valuable for advertisers and sponsors. Fans simply want to be associated with teams who are more popular and the Spurs will be in many more households for years to come. 

This article is from an external contributor. It does not represent Benzinga's reporting and has not been edited for content or accuracy.