San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama had one of the most dominant rookie runs in NBA history during the 2023-24 season. The 7-foot-4 center is carrying his momentum into the 2024 Olympics for Team France, who beat Brazil 78-66 in a tune-up game on Saturday. Wembanyama got vocal after the win about France's secret weapon.
“I've never experienced 27,000 people cheering for us, cheering for me. It gives so much strength, it's incredible. You cannot underestimate the power of the crowd, the home crowd. It's really going to be the sixth man in the tournament,” Wembanyama said, via Basket News.
Wembanyama ended Team France's win over Brazil with 19 points, nine rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. The star Spurs center praised his team for their efforts but understands they have room for improvement.
“I would say it is a good start. I would say we did all the job we could do tonight, but there's still so much to do,” Wembanyama added. “[We should be] capitalizing more on our momentum, having less ups and downs, especially downs, and overall being a more wise team.”
France will be one of the several highly-touted teams looking to medal. With Wembanyama on their side, there is no doubt of the squad's ability to make a deep Olympic run.
Victor Wembanyama looks to maintain his high-level play in 2024 Olympics
Wembanyama ended the 2023-24 season with averages of 21.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and a league-leading 3.6 blocks through 69 games. As a result, he won the NBA's Rookie of the Year award and was a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Wembanyama finds himself among an exciting young Spurs core led by legendary head coach Gregg Popovich. It will be exciting to see how he performs in his second NBA season, but for the time being, he will focus on doing well in the Olympics.
Wembanyama is playing alongside veteran NBA forward Nic Batum on Team France and is joining him as a vocal leader on the team.
“Taking everything that's given to me, communicating a lot with my teammates,” Wembanyama said about playing alongside teammates who've competed internationally together for more than a decade, via Basket News. “It's about sacrifices. We're all here for a purpose. In the inside positions, we have the very best player in the EuroLeague and two frontrunners for the Defensive Player of the Year. We're ready to give the spot to the next guy.”
France's win over Team Brazil is one of what the squad hopes will be many more when the official competition starts on July 28.
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