CLEVELAND — St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate Malaki Branham and his San Antonio Spurs teammates bonded before the 2023-24 NBA season tipped off by riding go-karts and playing arcade games.
Even in a fun, casual setting, Victor Wembanyama stood out.
When Wembanyama tried his hand at an electronic basketball game, the rookie who's listed by the league as 7 feet, 4 inches and 210 pounds had quite an advantage.
"He was literally just throwing the ball in the rim. He wasn't even shooting it. He's so tall, so he could just reach it and just throw it in. I've got a video of it. It's pretty funny," Branham told the Beacon Journal over the weekend while the Spurs (5-30) were in Cleveland to face the Cavaliers (21-15).
"He's just different from anybody. … His wingspan is crazy. I feel like when somebody's got him beat [on defense], he always just blocks the shot. His arms are just everywhere, man. He's so active, and he uses his length."
In 2022, the Spurs drafted three players in the first round, including Branham out of Ohio State with the 20th overall choice.
Then, last June, the Spurs dramatically altered their franchise with the selection of French phenom Wembanyama at No. 1 overall.
"It's very good," Branham said. "We haven't been winning games, but I feel like that's going to change as long as we just stick together. We have a young core, so I feel like the best thing we can have is just chemistry, where people like the ball at, and once we figure that out I think we're going to be pretty good."
With a wild ending, the Spurs fell 117-115 to the host Cavs on Sunday afternoon.
In Wembanyama's Cleveland debut , he nearly lifted San Antonio to a come-from-behind win with 24 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, three assists and five blocked shots in 25 minutes. Cavs center Jarrett Allen had the last laugh, though, with a game-high 29 points and 16 rebounds in Cleveland's third consecutive win.
"He's a good guy, a good guy off the court," Branham said of Wembanyama. "He wants to win. That's the big thing. I feel like everybody wants to win, but his drive, he plays with that same energy every night, and we love that."
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A Columbus native who moved to Akron for high school, Branham played 15 minutes off the bench against the Cavs as he continued to recover from a sprained ankle he suffered Jan. 2 against the Memphis Grizzlies . He scored two points on 1-of-5 shooting, dished out two assists and grabbed a rebound.
Branham explained he had about 30 friends and relatives in attendance for what he treats as his NBA homecoming game.
"Good to be back in the state," he said with a smile.
Through Branham's first 31 games this season, he averaged 8.7 points on 43.3% shooting, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 22.1 minutes.
Branham said he's a more physical defender than he was last season as a rookie. He's also playing point guard more lately, which he considers an encouraging sign of his development under Spurs coach Gregg Popovich , who was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last August.
"It's a little adjustment because I wasn't thinking about playing point guard at the beginning of the season, but with Pop believing in me, I'm all ears," Branham said. "Him believing in me to put me at the point guard position full time is very good.
"[Popovich is] one of a kind. He's a Hall of Famer. He's going to get on you, especially on the defensive side. You've got to have tough skin, for sure. … He can see the potential [in me], and if he sees the potential he's going to be hard on you."
Branham is accustomed to receiving tough love because he played for St. Vincent-St. Mary boys basketball coach Dru Joyce II and longtime AAU boys hoops coach Danyelle Love . Joyce didn't attend Sunday's Spurs-Cavs matchup because STVM had a game the same afternoon, but Love was at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and even briefly appeared on the video boards.
Branham said stern coaching has "made me become a better" player. He and Wembanyama are just 20 years old, so there is plenty of room for them to grow into what the Spurs envision. Branham explained he and Wembanyama are "still learning each other — the chemistry on the court." Branham can see great value in observing the center with a unique combination of size and ball-handling skills.
"When he feels cold, he gets up off the bench and starts moving around, so he can get his body moving for him to get into the game," Branham said. "He does a lot of ankle exercises. I remember one game in Houston , he literally rolled his ankle. His ankle basically touched the ground. He got up, and everything was good. So I feel like the preparation that he does is just one of a kind, and [I'm] trying to take some of that stuff from him 'cause he's been a pro longer than me."
It didn't take Wembanyama long to detect a strength of Branham while they practiced together for the Summer League.
"His mid-range [shot] was incredible at practice," Wembanyama said. "After pick and roll, if he wasn't guarded he would score four or five straight mid-ranges, jump shots, and I think in today's NBA it's having a reliable and signature shot [that allows players to thrive]. It's a great thing, and he could probably build off that for his career. He's very young. He's almost the same age as me, so it's a guy who has a great future."
Ohio's Mr. Basketball as a high school senior, Branham is already a hero at his alma mater in Akron. He returned to St. Vincent-St. Mary last summer to work out at The LeBron James Arena and speak to some of Joyce's players.
"What I really told them was listen to Coach Dru," Branham said. "Coach Dru knows what he's talking about. But if you really love the game and the passion that you have for it, you're going to work as hard as you can to be where you want to be. That's what I told them.
"I put in a lot of work people are not seeing, and I feel like if you really want to be where I'm at, that's what you've got to do. So I just tell them just work as hard as you can as often as you can, and hopefully you'll get where you want to be."
Branham said it was the first time he had returned to STVM since his graduation in 2021. He plans to be back again.
"I really want to go to a game, but just my schedule, it's very tough," Branham said. "But hopefully soon I can, and hopefully I get my jersey retired soon, too."
James , of course, has his jersey retired at STVM. Maybe Branham will have the same honor bestowed upon him during a break from a busy career in which he's playing for a legendary coach and uniting with a rising star.
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, Malaki Branham learning each other
