☕ Howdy, Tuesday.

Today's weather: A high near 103° and heat index values up to 107°.

Situational awareness: Today marks one year since 53 people died in a hot tractor-trailer on San Antonio's South Side, considered the deadliest migrant smuggling case in U.S. history.

• Neighbors continue to maintain a makeshift memorial.

🏀 Programming note: Today's newsletter focuses on Victor Wembanyama's potential impact on San Antonio, because it's not every day that your home team drafts a rookie who's already being compared to NBA legends.

Today's newsletter is 1,275 words — a 5-minute read.

Basketball wunderkind Victor Wembanyama officially has his spot on the Spurs roster, a No. 1 jersey and the attention of fans in San Antonio and beyond.

Why it matters: The basketball buzz surrounding Wembanyama, or Wemby, is expected to boost San Antonio's presence on an international scale.

State of play: Seemingly overnight, San Antonio has gone from being largely overlooked by national sports desks to being a media darling.

• International media joined the gaggle of reporters at major Wemby events in San Antonio since he arrived Friday.

What they're saying: Ricard Jensen, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio with expertise in sports marketing, thinks more national broadcasts of games will inevitably give the city a chance to tell its story and share its culture.

• "The national broadcasts really shied away from the Spurs last year — it was like we really didn't exist — and now all of a sudden we're prime time entertainment," he says.

Zoom in: Throughout draft coverage, national audiences were exposed to how passionate San Antonians are about local culture when Wemby's request for breakfast tacos was expeditiously granted after his plane landed, and when ESPN's Marty Smith got Wemby's face etched into his haircut — a puro tradition.

• Both events made national headlines.

By the numbers: Spurs Sports and Entertainment's Lucy Kaneb tells Axios that about 4,000 new season ticket deposits have been made since the May 16 lottery, when the Spurs won the first draft pick. The AT&T Center recently sold out of suite leases.

• In the first 48 hours of drafting Wembanyama, the Spurs saw a 3,000% increase in year-over-year online traffic and sales.

The big picture: It's been 26 years since the Spurs drafted the top pick. The city's growth as a destination for work and travel has grown exponentially since then.

• Jensen believes that the "legacy" of drafting Wembanyama during such an auspicious time for the city will open San Antonio up for more major sports opportunities.

What's next: Visit San Antonio's CEO Marc Anderson tells Axios that having the 19-year-old sports star as a resident will tell the city's story from a fresh, young perspective.

Basking in reflected glory

San Antonians who want to cheer on Wembanyama will flock to the AT&T Center on the East Side — and probably leave the area once the game is over.

• The streets around the AT&T Center are dotted with industrial operations. There are few bars and restaurants within walking distance for pre-game and post-game plans for fans.

What's happening: The energy around Wemby's arrival in San Antonio, however, has renewed focus on the Spurs and their future in San Antonio — including where they play.

Be smart: Talk of a new arena — either downtown or on the Northwest Side near the Spurs' new practice facility at La Cantera — isn't new. Neither is the lack of entertainment options around the AT&T Center.

• But discussions could crystallize in the coming years with an expected new chapter for the Spurs as the catalyst.

What they're saying: "We are at an interesting juncture. We have an arena that the county invested significant money in, and has continued to invest in, but it has not had the development impact that one might hope for," Heywood Sanders, UTSA professor of public administration, tells Axios.

Why it matters: A defined arena district where fans can spend time before and after games can help bring a city together and benefit local businesses.

Yes, but: Such plans are expensive and don't necessarily bring new visitors or economic impact to San Antonio, Sanders says.

Plus: Tommy Calvert, the Bexar County commissioner who represents the area around the AT&T Center, shares fans' anxiety over whether the Spurs might leave San Antonio for Austin. A new arena could help encourage the team to stay, Calvert tells Axios.

Of note: The Spurs' ownership group has not commented publicly on whether they'd like to move the team to a new arena.

The bottom line: "This is going to spur a deeper conversation about how we maintain the Spurs in San Antonio — and what kind of district or area or corridor we need to create to do that," Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, East Side city councilmember, tells Axios.

We asked our Axios Cleveland colleagues about the impact LeBron James had on development there.

💭 Troy Smith’s thought bubble: His impact was massive, and when he left, the city — restaurants, bars, hotels — really suffered. Just the impact of deep playoff runs each year with him was tremendous and produced direct spending around downtown from people outside of the county.

• Downtown was like night and day. You’d think you were in a different city.

Read more

🏆 Wembanyama will not play for France in the FIBA World Cup in August. He will instead take the time to prepare for his rookie season with the Spurs. (NBA)

🎟️ The Spurs first preseason home game tips off on Oct. 13. Tickets go on sale today at 10am. (Spurs)

📝 Former Spurs player Sean Elliott, who had dinner with Wemby, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and David Robinson on Friday, says the rookie asked them about rest, travel schedules and getting enough sleep on the road. (NBC Sports)

Axios San Antonio gets local readers like you smarter, faster on the news unfolding in your backyard.

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When Wembanyana needed a breather from the media whirlwind over the weekend, Up Scale in Southtown was ready with some grandma-inspired French comfort food.

Context: Houston Carpenter, who owns the popular restaurant with his wife Emily Carpenter, tells Axios they had somewhat of a heads-up that the new Spurs player would stop in on Saturday evening.

• Chef Rob Arambula found out that Wemby, who was born and raised in France, loves his grandma's vegetable soup — so much so he'd choose it if he could eat only one thing for the rest of his life — and decided to try his hand at making soupe au pistou.
• The soup, with origins in Provence, is made with seasonal vegetables and adorned with a spoonful of pistou, a basil pesto without nuts.
• Arambula also made mille-feuille, also known as a Napoleon, for dessert.

What they're saying: Houston Carpenter says it was "very special" to provide one of the first San Antonio meals, not only for Wembanyama, but also for his family.

• "He couldn't be more of a family man; he was destined to be a Spur," Houston Carpenter tells Axios.
• "We're going to get a whole menu for him so each time he comes he gets a little taste of France," he adds.

What's next: The Up Scale owner is looking at making the "rookie special" available to guests upon request. Stay tuned!

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You know you've made it in San Antonio when you're immortalized in a mural. Wemby reached that level of fame before that fateful May night.

What's happening: Wemby is now part of the public art display throughout San Antonio that's been dominated by the Big Three for years.

• So far, three art installations have been dedicated to the new Spurs player.

Yes, but: Rudy's Seafood, which has a collection of Spurs portraits covering its exterior walls, pulled a bit of a fast break by tapping local muralist Nik Soupè to paint Wemby's before the Spurs won the lottery.

• "I imagine there's going to be a 'learning to dance with each other' phase, but I think we're lucky enough to possibly see a bit of history in the making. Imagine that 'what if,'" Soupè tells Axios.

What's next: Celebrate the monumental moment in Spurs history by planning a mural tour. Find the addresses below. If you know of a new Wemby-themed mural, hit reply and fill us in.

Axios San Antonio gets local readers like you smarter, faster on the news unfolding in your backyard.

Support your local reporting team by becoming a member.

• Plus plus plus: you'll receive exclusive messages and more.

Become an Axios San Antonio member.

Thanks to our editor Bob Gee and copy editors Judith Isacoff and Keely Bastow.

🥣 Madalyn is now craving vegetable soup in 100-degree weather, thanks to Wemby's grandma and Up Scale.

🎟️ Megan is ready to go to a Spurs game next season.

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