Christmas defeat
Victor Wembanyama was very generous. On Wednesday, December 25, the rising NBA star and his San Antonio Spurs teammates played the traditional “Christmas game” at Madison Square Garden in New York. In top form, as he has been for several weeks, the 20-year-old Frenchman shone from start to finish, totaling 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks. However, it wasn’t enough: the Spurs lost 117-114 to the Knicks. Because in the NBA, nobody gives gifts.
Hands up
Here, Wembanyama performs a two-handed dunk with conspicuous ease. This action provides an opportunity to compare two complementary pieces of information. The first is that basketball backboards have been 3.05 meters high since the American James Naismith first hung a crate of peaches on the wall of the Springfield College gymnasium in 1891 to keep his students occupied on a rainy day. The second is that Wembanyama boasts a wingspan, arms outstretched, of 2.43 meters. Conclusion? It’s easier for him than it is for us.
Mad about tights
Here, Wembanyama wears white, opaque leggings. And he’s not the only one. Of the nine players in this image, seven are wearing the same garment, commonly known as “leg sleeves” in the US. How can we explain such a craze? On the one hand, sports equipment manufacturers claim that they promote blood circulation and reduce muscle fatigue. On the other hand, medical studies on the subject claim that they have strictly no real contribution beyond their placebo effect, and that their popularity is purely a fashion phenomenon.
A failed ball
Manufactured by Wilson, who succeeded Spalding as the NBA’s official partner in 2021, the ball is characterized by its historic orange color and its unchanging construction: eight panels separated by wide black grooves. In 2006, the NBA attempted to introduce, with great fanfare, a brand-new ball made of a single piece of material, without these panels. Unfortunately, players suffered from finger blisters and bouts of inaccuracy, and were forced to return to the old ball after just two months of competition.
Justice on the floor
While we’re on the subject, let’s conclude with a word about another essential element of a professional basketball game: the floor. It’s made from the same maple wood that covered the famous Springfield College gymnasium, where Naismith laid the foundations of the sport. Over the years, and despite pitiful experiments with stretched canvas and synthetic flooring, the NBA has come to the conclusion that no material offers better rebound and joint flexibility than good old maple wood.