The 2023 NBA draft, in June, was historic: Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio) became the first Frenchman selected in first position in the vast scholarship for young basketball players, closely followed by Bilal Coulibaly (Washington), chosen in seventh . Never before have two Tricolores been taken in the top 10. With Rayan Rupert (Portland) and Sidy Cissoko (San Antonio), respectively retained at 43e and at 44e Instead, France even came close to its 2016 record: that year, five players were drafted.
Freshly arrived in Texas, Victor Wembanyama declared that he wanted “establish French rule” on world basketball. To achieve his objective, the alien – as superstar LeBron James likes to call him – will be able to count on numerous compatriots in the prestigious North American league. As the match between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets kicks off the season, Tuesday October 24, we take stock of the NBA Blues.
Victor Wembanyama, the star attraction of this season
The players have not yet officially returned to the courts and are already attracting all the attention. Victor Wembanyama will be the star attraction of this 2023-2024 financial year. ” I have never seen that (…). If all goes well, it will revolutionize the game, says Frédéric Weis, NBA consultant, who will comment on the entire season of the prodigy on BeIN Sports. With Tony Parker, we had a taste of the media impact that this could generate. But here we are clearly going to take it to the next level. One of the best players in the world will be French. »
In addition to being the superstar of the San Antonio Spurs, the former player of the Metropolitans 92 of Boulogne-Levallois (Hauts-de-Seine) will have the difficult task of assuming the image of ambassador of French basketball in the league American. “The real change is him: he will shine a light on all the other French people”estimates Jacques Monclar, also a consultant for BeIN Sports.
“I even think that he will create the link between the young people and the veterans of the France team”, adds Frédéric Weis. Responsibilities that the 19-year-old young man seems ready to assume, according to Nicolas Batum, his captain in the selection: “He has the mentality and the talent to deal with all that pressure. »
Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum scrutinized before the Paris Games
The executives of the French team will try to reassure them before the Olympic deadline. This is particularly the case for Evan Fournier. The back, a real reference for the Tricolores in the NBA, is going through a complicated period with the New York Knicks. At the end of last season, his coach even insinuated that they were performing better since Fournier no longer played. Despite good pre-season matches, the future of the Ile-de-France player remains unclear when it comes time to return to competition.
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