Victor Wembanyama plays chess in NYC after inviting fans to join him on social media
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama dunks against the Brooklyn Nets in the second half of an NBA basketball game at Barclays Center on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Who's got next?
Not for a game of basketball, but a game of chess.
That's what San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama posted on X Saturday morning to his 364,000 followers:
"Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square park to play chess? I'm there," he posted.
Wemby pulled up to NYC to play chess ♟️ pic.twitter.com/QCNyldS3Vr
— Chess.com (@chesscom) December 28, 2024
Soon, dozens of people showed up in the rain to watch chess players go 1-on-1 with the 7-3 player known as "Wemby," last year's runaway winner of the NBA Rookie of the Year.
Wembanyama, in the city after the Spurs defeated the Nets in Brooklyn on Friday night, said in a social media video posted by the NBA, "I just started playing when I was like 7."
One of Wembanyama's opponents said, "This is the biggest chess game of my life."
Wembanyama reposted the NBA video and wrote, "We need an NBA players only Chess tournament, proceeds go to the charity of choice of the winner"
Adam Silver, what do you think?
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