TOM NOUVIAN, Associated Press
45 mins ago
French basketball player Victor Wembanyama, who plays for the NBA San Antonio Spurs, gestures during a speech on media day at the French National Institute of Sports and Physical Education in Vincennes outside Paris, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
PARIS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama plays against the top names in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, and he can’t wait to do the same for France at the Olympic Games in Paris.
The NBA Rookie of the Year was asked on Thursday about the possibilities of a final between France and the USA and a possible battle against LeBron James and Stephen Curry for the gold medal in his hometown.
“I can’t wait to play against them, it will be a very interesting duel,” Wembanyama said at a press conference in Paris. “As a basketball player, it is also a dream to play against Team USA and even against all these players, all these legends.”
At the Olympic Games in Tokyo three years ago, the USA beat France in the final 87-82.
This time, however, France has Wembanyama, who is making his Olympic debut at the age of 20. He is the French team’s biggest star and is the centre of attention both on and off the pitch.
“I think this is the biggest competition for an athlete. But I will approach it like everything else in my life: as a sporting pleasure,” said Wembanyama.
For French coach Vincent Collet, it is a sporting pleasure to see both Wembanyama and his NBA colleague Rudy Gobert, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year, disrupt the opposing offense.
“If we want to achieve our dream, we have to play exceptional defense,” said Collet, who is supported by newly appointed Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson.
France, which has never won an Olympic gold medal in basketball, was scheduled to hold its first full practice session in Paris on Friday and has six warm-up games scheduled in July.
The players will miss the opening ceremony of the Olympics on July 26 as France plays its first match the following day in Lille, 220 kilometres north of Paris, where the group stage of the 12-team tournament will be played.
“If Victor were to attend the ceremony, he would arrive in Lille at 3 or 4 a.m. This would interrupt his preparations for the Games,” said Fabrice Canet, a spokesman for the French national team.
France does not yet know its first opponent – it will be the winner of the last qualifying tournament next week. The hosts will then play against Japan and the reigning world champions Germany in Group B.
France is considered one of the strongest teams when playing in front of a home crowd, alongside the USA, Canada, Serbia and Germany.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
