Stephen A. Smith has a little looking up to do any time he interviews Victor Wembanyama — and he knows it.
The ESPN commentator and the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft went viral after photos captured their massive height difference on Thursday night.
Smith even joined in on the fun, tweeting the photo of himself and Wembanyama next to a picture of Earl Boykins standing next to Yao Ming.
Boykins, a 5-foot-5 guard who played in the NBA for 13 seasons, is dwarfed by the 7-foot-6 center, in a similar manner to the way Smith looks like a child next to Wembanyama.
The height difference between Smith and Wembanyama only accentuates how huge the newest San Antonio Spur is — Smith is 6-foot-1 and Wembanyama is 7-foot-4, so fans are getting an early sense of just how much the French center will tower over his opponents.
Wembanyama is expected to make an immediate impact in the NBA.
On a quick phone call with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich following his selection Thursday night, he couldn’t contain his excitement, saying, “I can’t wait.”
“I’m ready to learn, man, I’m ready to learn,” Wembanyama later said to Popovich.
Smith posted an earlier video to Twitter in which he said he was ready to stop hearing about Wembanyama and watch him play basketball.
“I got to see this guy go against NBA competition,” he said, after listing concerns about Wembanyama’s thin frame at his height.
The French big man is coming off an eye-catching season with the Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A, in which he averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and three blocks per game.
As the Wembanyama hype grows and his debut grows more anticipated, it’s safe to say Smith won’t be the last reporter who he towers over when he’s in the NBA.