Earlier this week, I made what I believed to be a very appropriate comparison between Victor Wembanyama's arrival in the NBA and an Alien encounter. My thesis was that when most stateside hoops fans got their first opportunity to watch Wembanyama with the San Antonio Spurs, it probably resembled a toned-down version of what the response to a UFO landing on earth would be: Mostly disbelief, with some fear, excitement, and confusion sprinkled in as well. In the few days that have since passed, I started questioning whether I had overstated the momentousness of Wemby's debut, but then Wembanyama and the French National Team played their first game of the Olympics on Saturday morning, and suddenly, I felt justified.
Noah Eagle and Dwyane Wade were on the call for the France-Brazil game, and obviously, given his status as a three-time NBA Champion and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, Wade has seen a lot of high-quality basketball in his day. But Dwyane Wade noted that this was his first time seeing Victor Wembanyama play in person, and it showed. Countless times throughout the broadcast, both Wade and Eagle could do nothing but laugh in response to what Wembanyama was doing on the floor. It even prompted Wade to gush that Wembanyama was ‘electrifying,' and to be fair, that may be understating it.
Victor Wembanyama attempted only three field goals in the 1st quarter against Brazil, and France stumbled out of the gate as a result. An eight point 1st quarter deficit soon swelled to 12 within the opening minutes of the 2nd quarter. And that's when Victor Wembanyama reminded the entire world why he's widely regarded to be the future face of the NBA.
France surges in 2nd quarter behind 11 points from Victor Wembanyama
Brazil took a 27-15 lead with just under 9 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter, but from that point on, Wembanyama outscored the Brazilian national team 11-9 the rest of the way, and the full arsenal of his skillset was on display. A turnaround baseline jumper is what killed Brazil's momentum early, and then Wemby continued pushing France back into the game, knocking down a top of the key three-pointer and finishing with a crafty baseline lay-in before two emphatic slams knotted the score at 34 with about a minute and a half to go. France led 39-36 at halftime and never trailed in the 2nd half.
Wembanyama led the way for Olympics host nation, finishing with 19 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 4 steals in the 78-66 win. French veteran Nicolas Batum scored 19 points as well. France will play next on Tuesday July 30th, when they face Japan, who lost by twenty in their Olympic opener to Germany. A blowout is likely, but as we've all learned over the last year, Victor Wembanyama is must-see-TV.
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