Victor Wembanyama will play his first game with France since the national team's loss to the US in the 2024 Olympics final on Thursday, facing Serbia. The San Antonio Spurs center is taking on new responsibilities in a significantly revised squad.
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It had been 740 days since Victor Wembanyama last wore the France basketball jersey, his tears still fresh on the court of the Accor Arena after the Paris 2024 Olympic final defeat to the United States. Wembanyama has returned to the team for two warm-up games against Nikola Jokic's Serbia, first in Belgrade on Thursday, August 20, and then in Orléans on Sunday, August 23. The squad will go on to face Slovenia and Sweden the week of August 24 in the qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar. For the occasion, he assumes the role of France's captain for the first time.
At 22, the San Antonio Spurs center has became the youngest player to wear the captain's armband since Tony Parker in 2003. "It's probably earlier than I expected, and probably earlier than anyone expected," he said in a statement from the French Basketball Federation. However, head coach Frédéric Fauthoux chose him to succeed Guerschon Yabusele, who is absent from this international window, and Rudy Gobert, due to his "leadership by example" and "work ethic."
Wembanyama's attachment to the national team also played a role. "The France jersey carries even more weight because it represents shorter, more intense goals than an NBA season," Wembanyama said on Monday during a practice session in Loiret. "We all know there are few international games in a career. That's why every one of them really matters."
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