The nation’s top athletes made their way to the ESPY Awards on Wednesday night, but one hyped sports star was noticeably absent — San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama.
Still, the No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick was seemingly there in spirit, as he was mentioned by singer Lil Wayne and sports talk show host Pat McAfee.
McAfee delivered the opening monologue of the show, which aired on Wednesday night, and poked fun at the Wemby and Britney Spears ordeal.
He “needs to apologize to Britney Spears, stat,” McAfee joked.
McAfee was referring to the singer’s allegations that Wembanyama’s security smacked her as she tried to speak with the young NBA player in Las Vegas.
She claimed that she was backhanded and knocked to the ground, which wasn’t seen in a video released by TMZ.
Wembanyama told KSAT that he didn’t know Spears tried to get his attention, and he didn’t know the extent of the situation until later on.
McAfee also joked that the nation “can’t wait to watch him take on the NBA’s best — the Kardashian family.”
@espn Pat McAfee’s Wembanyama bit 😂😂😂 #wembanyama #nba #basketball #kardashians #kendalljenner ♬ original sound - ESPN
Later on, Lil Wayne gave a sports-themed rendition of his 2008 hit “A Milli.”
As the crowd got to their feet, Lil Wayne rapped about Damar Hamlin’s recovery, the Denver Nuggets’ new championship and the new Spur.
“Pop ‘em like we coaching Wembanyama,” Lil Wayne sang in the performance.
Also during the show, the Spurs were named ESPN’s Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year for their recovery efforts in Uvalde.
Following the NBA Draft last month, Wemby has been on a travel whirlwind, from celebrating in San Antonio to playing in the 2K24 Las Vegas Summer.
On Thursday, fitness drink brand Barcode announced Wembanyama as the newest investor and brand partner.
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