San Antonio and New York City may be very different at face value. But they share one defining feature that will forever link their shared history.
A gift from France.
After the United States won their independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War — with France as a key ally — the French gifted America the Statue of Liberty in 1886 as a tribute to our nation’s 100th birthday, its abolishment of slavery and its enduring experiment of democracy.
When the San Antonio Spurs ecstatically landed the top pick in the NBA Draft Lottery in 2023, they too were gifted an indelible figure from France — and that was Victor Wembanyama.
Call it a coincidence, a testament to their storied history, or fate itself, but the Spurs have revived their winning ways because of Wembayama, just as New York became a beacon of hope for immigrants en route to Ellis Island and a tourism palooza because of the Statue of Liberty.
There are also some physical parallels between the Statue and Wembanyama. For one, they’re both tall and towering figures. Lady Liberty stands at 111 feet and 1 inch, the tallest statue in America, while Wembanyama stands at 7 feet and 4 inches, the tallest active player in the NBA.
Additionally, the longest finger on the Statue of Liberty is 8 feet long. As for Wembanyama’s wingspan? 8 feet as well.
Above all, the two French specimens are a symbol of hope for their respective cities. As long as Wembanyama is in the paint for the San Antonio Spurs — as the Statue of Liberty is in New York Harbor — the Alamo City will always have reason for optimism and a way to bring its people together for a common cause.
But gifts as embellished as these doesn’t just fall into one’s lap. It has to be deserved, which raises one key distinction in this conversation.
The U.S. lays claim to the Statue of Liberty from winning (a war), while the Spurs grabbed hold of Wembanyama from … losing (lots of basketball games).
But hey, who’s keeping track?
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