Duel in the sun? On November 2, in Phoenix, Arizona, the local Suns team hosted the San Antonio Spurs. On this occasion, the French prodigy Victor Wembanyama crossed paths for the very first time with a star of the league, the man named Kevin Durant, leader of the Suns, double NBA champion, MVP in 2014 and triple Olympic champion. Between them, barely 2 meters apart in the photo, but a career apart: the Frenchman, 19, is at the start of the path; the American, 35 years old, at the end…
Let’s start with some figures, because this duel is first of all a big story, true or false. To play as a winger, Kevin Durant lied for a long time about his measurements, claiming to measure 2.06 meters when in reality he exceeds 2.11 meters. As for Victor Wembanyama, he reaches 2.22 meters, 2.23 meters, or 2.24 meters, even 2.25 meters, who knows? Because we don’t measure players in the same way in Europe. At home, barefoot, Wembanyama rises to 2.22 meters. In the United States, where players are measured wearing shoes, excessively, he gains 1 to 3 centimeters, depending on the thickness of his sneakers.
Let’s talk about it. Here, Wembanyama wears a pair of Nikes, in this case the G.T. Run model. Innocuous? No doubt, but basketball fans – and sneakers fans – are totally confused. Why, in fact, has the Frenchman been wearing this old, anonymous and unpopular pair since the start of the season, even though he is seen as the face of the brand new G.T. Hustle model? Aren’t these to his liking? Where does Nike still need a little more time to make the pair in size 54? This avenue should not be excluded.
Also wearing Nike shoes (connoisseurs will obviously have identified his model, signature KD 15), Kevin Durant has the particularity of playing with his legs entirely covered in white tights. For what benefit? Several medical studies have been conducted on this subject and the conclusions are quite clear. If these tights can very marginally promote blood circulation and reduce muscle vibrations, in reality they only have a placebo effect for players in constant search of ultimate mental conditioning. Because basketball is also played in the head.
What if, ultimately, the real hero of this image was neither Wembanyama nor Durant, but this man. Historical and legendary supporter of the Suns, the man named Patrick Batillo has attended every match of his team covered in orange for many years. But one important detail has recently changed. For fear of developing a nasty skin disease, the man nicknamed “Mr ORNG” (like “Mr. Orange”), replaced the usual paint with which he covered his face with a hood. For a disappointing result: 28 points for Durant, 38 for Wembanyama; Suns defeat, Spurs victory.