Tailored Terror
San Antonio's golden rookie Victor Wembanyama uses shocking height for clever Halloween costume
Victor Wembanyama sure knows how to make an entrance. The new NBAer seemed to have the whole city excited during his debut with the San Antonio Spurs last week, and he showed up for the Halloween game dressed to the nines — or rather, to the seven-foot-three-and-a-half.
Wemby strode out in a black suit over a white collared shirt, plus white head and hand coverings, removing all features except his staggering height.
The outfit referenced Slender Man, an internet relic from 2009 that started in a forum and spiraled out of proportion, including claims that Slender Man could influence real people to do bad things, games including a video game called Slender: The Eight Pages (2012), and references in TV shows like Community and Big Mouth.
As many iconic outfits, this look was best served in silence as Wembanyama moved nonchalantly down the hall, adding to the sinister illusion.
Fans and onlookers seemed to agree that this creative costume was done just right.
It's been fun to see the star on the court, but this long, tailored look off the court really played up Wembanyama's natural advantage.
"Is he like 8’4?" guessed X (formerly Twitter) user @_nseobong.
Another angle puts things into an even weirder perspective, in a video shot from below as the new star ducks while exiting the tour bus. He's joined in the Halloween spirit by teammate Devonte' Graham in a Scream mask.
@spurs Spooky Spurs #sanantoniospurs #spurs #victorwembanyama #devontegraham #halloweentiktok #halloweencostume #nbaarrival
Some users even bonded over feeling more smitten than afraid of Wembanyama's oddly fashionable formal look.
Perhaps this gave the team the edge they needed to narrowly beat the Phoenix Suns 115-114. Of course, the man of the hour received plenty of shout-outs from commentators and YouTube commenters alike in the NBA's full game highlight.