PARIS (France) - In his first game back in France after the 2024 Olympics, Victor Wembanyama made all the headlines, once again.
The 22-year-old superstar enjoyed his new role as the captain, orchestrating a magnificent effort which saw France defeat Luka Doncic-less Slovenia 92-67 in their first game of the August window.
"The World Cup is important because it’s a title we’ve never won."
Some would probably feel intimidated by the weight of captaincy.
But certainly not Wembanyama.
"Those aren't really questions that pose a problem for me: I have confidence in who I am and in what I can bring to a group, both athletically and philosophically," he told the media in a press conference ahead of the window.
And it showed on the court as he poured in 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 9 rebounds and a block, good enough for an efficiency rating of 24.
"For a project that, in my mind, is measured in years, even decades, it's something that will develop over time. It’s important not to skip steps. The goal is to get a little closer every day to becoming the captain I want to be."
France have had no shortage of illustrious captains over the years, but Wembanyama is already targeting something none of them managed to achieve: lifting the Naismith Trophy as captain of the FIBA Basketball World Cup champions.
"What everyone is looking for is titles," he said.
"We've seen in recent years that French basketball can continue to grow, and we have a lot of potential, particularly through our youth teams and player development. These are long-term projects that I intend to have an impact on."
France have never finished higher than third at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, earning bronze medals in 2014 and 2019, before finishing 18th at the 2023 edition.
France's best results at the FIBA Basketball World Cup
Edition | Final placement |
|---|---|
China 2019 | 3rd |
Spain 2014 | 3rd |
Brazil 1954 | 4th |
Japan 2006 | 5th |
Brazil 1963 | 5th |
"The World Cup is important because it's a title we've never won. And even if we had won it before, I would still want to win it," the San Antonio Spurs giant explained.
This win over Slovenia gets him and France a step closer to that goal. They are standing tall at 6-1 in Group L, and will look to go 7-1 as they travel to Avicii Arena in Sweden for a game on Sunday.
Only the top three teams in the group will advance, but with Wembanyama leading the way, his ambition of taking France all the way to World Cup gold in Qatar in 2027 is starting to take shape.
FIBA