In a hallway during the Summer League in Las Vegas, a moment between LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama made the Los Angeles Lakers star turn his head. First, the young phenom from the San Antonio Spurs greeted LeBron warmly with a hug. Then, Wemby took a slight step to the side and turned toward James’ family.
LeBron James, for a second, turned his head when Wemby made this gesture toward Savannah James and Zhuri, who were just a few steps behind him, and they couldn’t do anything but stand still for a second before reacting to the Spurs star.
LeBron turns his head because of Wemby’s gesture
It’s not just about competing in the NBA or being stars of the league and their respective teams, it’s also about showing how you respect others’ personal space when you feel it’s the right thing to do.
Victor Wembanyama seems to live by that principle with others. After greeting LeBron enthusiastically, he simply stepped toward the family that was accompanying James at that moment, and from a proper distance, made a small gesture to greet Savannah and Zhuri James, as well as someone else who was with them.
An act, a gesture of respect for another person’s personal space of not making anyone uncomfortable. Of knowing that the friend, the teammate, is LeBron, and that family always has an invisible line you don’t cross to avoid awkwardness. Because it’s very different when someone is a close friend of the family, that’s another story.
Wembanyama returned to the basketball court after being officially cleared to resume basketball activities following his recovery from a serious deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in his right shoulder, which limited him to just 46 games last season.
The unexpected but friendly interaction between LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama is part of the camaraderie often seen throughout the NBA.
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