Victor Wembanyama is not like most NBA superstars.
Generally speaking, the best of the best disappear during the offseason, with the exception of free agency. Unless there is a very real chance that a top player will leave their team in the offseason, they tend to keep a low profile.
There is virtually no chance that Wemby will be leaving the San Antonio Spurs this summer, but he’s still making waves. Last offseason, he was spotted in Japan, Costa Rica, France, and at the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song.
This offseason, fans can expect to find him in an unconventional place: on the court in front of thousands.
Victor Wembanyama to Make Team France Return
In 2024, after his dominant rookie season, Wembanyama represented the French National Team at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning silver in front of his home crowd.
Wembanyama went toe-to-toe with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, cementing himself as one of the best players in the world, all at 20 years old.
While FIBA World Cup qualifiers aren’t quite as glitzy as the Olympic stage, he’s expected to don Les Bleus again this summer.
In August, France will play Serbia (with Nikola Jokic) twice before taking on two unnamed opponents. The French shouldn’t need Wembanyama in order to punch their ticket to the 2027 FIBA World Cup, although Wembanyama’s appearance will certainly give them a boost.
Alongside Wembanyama, possible NBA players on the roster include Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum, who are both aging, as well as Bilal Coulibaly, Alexandre Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Pacome Dadiet, Moussa Diabate, and Maxime Raynaud, as well as some fringe rotation players.
While Team USA will remain heavy favorites and Germany, Slovenia, and Serbia are formidable, expect Wemby’s French squad to have title aspirations.
The World Cup itself will be held next summer in Qatar. No Qatari-born hooper has ever made the NBA, although the host nation does get an auto-bid. Don’t expect them to make it out of the group stages.
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