Turn on your TV and, pretty quickly, you'll see an NBA star selling something. There's the Golden State Warriors's Stephen Curry hawking Subway sandwiches, former Phoenix Sun Chris Paul cracking jokes for State Farm Insurance, and WNBA superstars Candace Parker and Sue Bird chatting it up in CarMax ads (with Curry, naturally). Then, of course, there's future Hall-of-Famer and current Los Angeles Laker LeBron James, who seems like he's selling everything in sight.

But soon, these stars will be welcoming someone new to the club, someone who may bring the game of athlete endorsements to a new level.

Meet Victor Wembanyama, 19, the most anticipated talent to come into the NBA since LeBron himself. Last night, he was drafted as the No. 1 overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs. For companies and marketers, Wembanyama – nicknamed Wemby – represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Commentators have described him as "unlike anyone we've ever seen," while NBA superstars like Curry and Kevin Durant have publicly expressed their awe. Wembanyama stands at a towering 7'4" – or something like that, as his official height hasn't yet been reported – with a wingspan even larger.

"There's never been a player with his physical skills, he could be LeBron 2.0," said University of South Florida professor Bill Sutton, a former NBA executive. "There just aren't any players who have a 7'5" wingspan who also have his ability to defend, shoot, and move. He's a Star Wars pick, that galaxy far, far away."

For the NBA's preeminent athletes, there's a lot of money on the table, when it comes to endorsement deals. In the 2022-2023 season, James made $80 million on endorsements, for instance, while Curry, Durant, and Giannis Antetokounmpo all made more than $40 million apiece, according to data from Statista.

Some experts say Webanyama can top them all.

Wembanyama comes from a different place than many of basketball's biggest stars – literally. He's from France, played for the country's Metropolitan 92s, and is entering a league still dominated by athletes from the U.S. In a showcase game last year against the pro G League Ignite – his first in the US – Wembanyama's staggering stat line included 37 points and 5 blocks.