Who is Elijah Hoard? Spurs star Victor Wembanyama sends worrying message for 23-year-old friend

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has issued a public plea after his 23-year-old friend, Elijah Hoard, was reported missing in Chicago. Hoard was last seen on February 27 at O’Hare International Airport and did not board his scheduled flight back to France.

Chicago police have launched a missing person investigation and warned that he may need medical attention.Wembanyama shared the alert with his large social media following, asking the public to help locate “our friend.” The situation has drawn attention across both the NBA community and international basketball circles, as family members and authorities continue their search.

Who is Victor Wembanyama's friend, Elijah Hoard?

Elijah Joseph Hoard, 23, lives in France and recently spent 10 days visiting his father, Antwon Hoard, in Chicago.

According to local reports, his father dropped him off at O’Hare for a return flight to France. Hoard never checked in and did not board the plane.

Police said he was last seen wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt, black sweatpants and cream-colored shoes. Authorities also noted he “may be in need of medical attention.” His phone has reportedly been off since Friday night, and family members believe he does not have enough money to remain on his own for long.

Antwon Hoard described a shift in his son’s behavior before the scheduled departure. “Everything seemed pretty normal the first eight days, but the last two days his whole mood had swung, and he was really adamant about not going back home, and he didn't want to go home,” Antwon explained. He added that Elijah may still be somewhere around the airport area. “But again, that's the last we've seen of him.”Elijah is also known in basketball circles. He previously played at the LDLC ASVEL academy in France and continued competing in lower tiers, and he is the brother of Maccabi Tel Aviv's forward Jaylen Hoard.

He is listed at 6-foot-3 and around 220 pounds.

Spurs star Victor Wembanyama asks for help to locate Elijah Hoard

Victor Wembanyama turned to Instagram to widen the search. In his post, he wrote: “Our friend Elijah has been missing from Chicago O'Hare since February 27th.If you have any information, please reach out to local authorities.”The Spurs center also tagged Chicago sports figures, including Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, and Connor Bedard, hoping to amplify the message. His outreach quickly spread across social media.Chicago police are reviewing surveillance footage from O’Hare as part of the investigation. Family members, including Elijah’s sister Leah, have urged the public to share information in both English and French to reach a wider audience.Anyone with information is asked to contact the Chicago Police Missing Persons Unit.