CHICAGO (USA) - It shouldn't really raise eyebrows when someone predicts France will beat USA in the Los Angeles Olympic Final, if they square off in the Gold Medal Game for a third straight time.
For starters, the French have Victor Wembanyama, aka 'The Alien', who is helping take the NBA to a place where it has never been before.
"I've seen him do things on a basketball court that I still don't understand," France captain Guerschon Yabusele said an interview with GQ. "And it takes a lot to impress me."
There is also what happened in 2021, in Tokyo, and 2024, in Paris.
The French almost beat the Americans both times.
It's why Yabusele and the other French players are already thinking about Los Angeles.
"It would be a lie to say I'm not thinking about it - that the team isn't thinking about it," Yabusele said. "We've played in the last two Olympic Finals and each time, we ran into them. But in Los Angeles, there won't be the 'Avengers' anymore."
YES, WE CAN BEAT THE U.S. ON THEIR HOME COURT IN TWO YEARS.
Yabusele
While the makeup of the USA roster for LA won't be known for some time, it seems unlikely that Olympic MVP LeBron James will play, while veterans Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are big 'maybes'. USA could elect to go with a youth movement, or simply rely on others. They have a wealth of options.
All that Yabusele knows is that twice in a row, France have thrown big scares into the Olympic giants.
And he was in both of those French teams. Losing the Final in Paris stung Yabusele more because he had 20 points and an incredible dunk over James that went viral.
"We were left wanting more," Yabusele said. "Right after the Final, we went back to INSEP and were saying, 'If we play them again in two days, we beat them."
"We were convinced. Waiting until 2028 is long! But we can do it - I know it, we know it," He said as his eyes lit. "I'm the captain of a team that believes: 'Yes, we can beat the U.S. on their home court in two years.'"
It was a subject that came up for Yabusele when after the Olympics, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers and played alongside their USA center, Joel Embiid.
"We teased each other," Yabusele said. "In the locker room, I told my teammates I saw doubt in the Avengers' eyes during the final - that made Joel laugh a lot! But… I was on the court. They were not calm at all, that's a fact.
"In France, we have the most physical basketball program in the world after them, and our style of play is close to theirs. We're almost there. And without a red-hot Steph Curry in the fourth quarter in Paris, we would have taken gold."
Curry had a second straight game when he caught fire from long range, scoring all 24 of his points from deep. Four of those he made in a row in the final quarter, including his famous golden dagger.
Four years later and there will be different dynamics at play.
The French are likely to have a huge advantage with Wembanyama. He made the All-Star Five at the Paris Games and now, in this third NBA season with the San Antonio Spurs, Wemby is proving to be what the French call incroyable.
He's not just incredible because he averaged 25.0 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game this NBA season. It's the way he is doing it, scoring in a myriad of ways, from three-point range, with mesmerizing drives and dunks, with turnaround jumpers.
He had 25 points in the first quarter of a San Antonio win against the Lakers in LA that set the Social Media sphere ablaze, with fans sending out messages that Wemby was going to reach 100, as Wilt Chamberlain once did in 1962.
Yabusele says Wembanyama has been spellbinding in the France team, too.
"I remember one play during a French national team practice in Lyon (in 2024)," Yabusele said. "He blocked Evan Fournier while facing the other way - he jumped, turned around mid-air, and grabbed the ball! I had never seen anything like it. Literally."
Wembanyama also made history as the first French player to start in an NBA All Star Game.
When asked how much better Wemby can he become, Yabusele hesitated and then answered: "Honestly, I have no idea."
But the benefits of having him in the team are obvious. Even for the French players when they play against him in practice.
"It's such a privilege," Yabusele said. "But he also has an impact on me. With the national team, we often go up against each other in practice, and it makes me improve tremendously. I have to adjust all my shots, all my movements - it's a nightmare. His wingspan is nearly 2.50 meters!"
Things didn't go well for France last summer as they played at the FIBA EuroBasket for the first time in a long time without Vincent Collet as coach.
Frederic Fauthoux coached the team and he did not have the luxury of playing Wembanyama 20 to 25 minutes per game with the superstar unavailable. There were other youngsters in the team gaining much needed experience. France lost to Georgia in the Round of 16.
There was also a change for Yabusele. He inherited the captain's armband.
"No pressure at all." he said. "But it's true, it happened very suddenly. I never set that as a goal. As long as I'm battling on the court with the guys, I'm happy.
"So my role is actually pretty simple: we're very open with each other because we know each other well. I take time to manage frustrations privately, between games, with those who want to talk."
Yabusele concedes he did have to make an adjustment to serve as captain.
"I manage my own frustration better." he said, laughing. "As captain, you're under more scrutiny. I can't allow myself to show negative emotions, so I hold them in - but it’s tough. I'd say I'm more zen now. We all share the same goal, putting our egos aside: win, and keep winning."
That is what France are all about now. They need to win.
To make it to LA, France will try to reach the FIBA Basketball World Cup and improve on their poor performance at the 2023 edition. If they reach Qatar in 2027 and have a high enough finish, France can clinch a spot in LA. Otherwise, the French could clinch a spot at a FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
FIBA