"It's very possible that he'll be the face of basketball. Not just NBA basketball, but world basketball," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

The story, as Buford tells it, goes like this: Claudio Crippa, an international scout for the Spurs, proposed going to see a youth game before checking out Doumbouya. Buford saw Wembanyama play for the first time that day. And the seeds for the Spurs’ new master plan were immediately planted.

While Wembanyama was kept in relative check on Saturday, his thundrous performance on Thursday featured 30 points on 13-for-21 shooting, 11 rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and one steal. Safe to say, the fans got their money’s worth.