Martin Lange / Photo credit: OLIVIER CHASSIGNOLE / AFP
The final of the French basketball championship is held this Thursday at the central Roland-Garros. A magical place, set up for the occasion, for a high-level final. If Monaco meet Boulogne-Levallois, all eyes will be on Victor Wembanyama who flies to the United States next week.
This may be his last game in France for quite a while. French basketball star Victor Wembanyama is playing this Thursday evening with the Metropolitans 92 (Boulogne-Levallois) against Monaco. The player is expected next week in the United States to start his new life in the NBA with the San-Antonio Spurs.
A totally transformed Roland-Garros
But before living the American dream, he will have to face Monaco in the final of the French championship, on track to win the title. To claim victory, the two teams will have to face each other at the central Roland-Garros, just four days after the coronation of Novak Djokovic. For the coup, a glittering parquet floor was installed and the roof of the stadium closed to create a real gymnasium.
A technical and logistical feat hailed by Alain Weisz, director of basketball operations for the “Mets”: “Roland-Garros was in the middle of a move and President Moretton, who is a great basketball fan, really had to shake up everyone to that we have a positive response. When you have great players, you need a beautiful theater. And the Roland-Garros theater, I think you can’t find better, “he explains at the microphone of Europe 1.
Wembanyama’s last game?
The 15,000 tickets were sold out within minutes. A craze which is explained by the poster between the two best teams of the championship, but especially by the presence of Victor Wembanyama. The new tricolor basketball star is expected in the United States next Thursday for the NBA draft. He could therefore play his last match in France this Thursday evening, even if his teammate Bilal Coulibaly hopes that there will be others. “We try to go there by being like winners to tell ourselves that we are still playing a match” together, he explains.
Because if the Metropolitans win this Thursday evening, they will have the opportunity to play a second match on Saturday, still on the Central.