Wembanyama Will Be A Force To Be Reckoned With
Though his national team lost, Wembanyama is confident they’ll get it the next time around.
Tears ran down France’s Victor Wembanyama’s face as he stood on the Parisian court in front of 12,000 fans.
He and his team had just battled in the Olympics’ Gold Medal Game but the result was not desired.
The United States’ squad was stacked with the best players in the world and had defeated them 98–87.
Wembanyama’s disappointment was short lived and, after a few minutes, the San Antonio Spurs’ big composed himself and remembered that he was still young and had a bright future in front of him in the NBA and the Olympics.
During the post-game press conference, he showed this recalled confidence by telling reporters that he felt bad for his future opponents “everywhere.”
Via The Score:
“I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple years,” Wembanyama told reporters, including The Associated Press’ Kyle Hightower.
The 2024 Summer Olympics was Wemby’s first go at the international tournament, and despite this being his first time, the 20-year-old center performed phenomenally.
In the Gold Medal Game, where he had to battle three future Basketball Hall of Famers’ LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, Wembanyama recorded 26 points on 11–19 shooting and 7 rebounds in 30 minutes of play.
He fought hard to keep France in the game (they were down 3 points at one point in the fourth quarter) but as the clock dwindled, the lead got more and more difficult to cut into as the American squad’s Curry kept knocking down 3-point bombs in the final moments of the game.
But, as Wemby said, it was a great learning experience and it only made him better.
“I’m going to enjoy the moment,” said Wembanyama, “I’m proud of my teammates. I’m proud of having what we’ve done here in France in front of our fans. I’m going to let it all soak in.”
France ended with the silver medal as the U.S. won gold (their fifth in a row) and Serbia won bronze.
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