French basketball prodigy Victor Wembanyama is widely projected to be the second overall pick in the draft in June.
Last week, the Spurs earned the right to the top pick in the draft. Therefore, Wembanyama is expected to begin his NBA career in San Antonio, where he would be mentored by legendary coach Gregg Popovich.
The 19-year-old is already facing high expectations, and he hasn’t even taken a single shot in the league. But when it comes to his international basketball career, Wembanyama has a bold aspiration.
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Victor Wembanyama of Metropolitans 92 reacts during the warm up before the Betclic Elite match between Metropolitans 92 and Strasbourg on April 8, 2023 in Levallois-Perret, France. (Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
Wembanyama already has in mind the Olympic Games next year, which will take place in Paris.
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According to ESPN’s Sam Borden, the basketball phenom is eager for the chance to defeat the USA men’s basketball team on his way to winning a gold medal for France.
«You know that the Olympic Games are in Paris in 2024,» Wembanyama told Pascal Giberné, a French broadcaster and writer, last fall. «And there couldn’t be a more perfect occasion to win my first title with the French national team.
«My goal,» he added, «is to beat Team USA in the final.»
Victor Wembanyama of Metropolitans 92 in action during the LNB Pro A Betclic Elite basketball match between Nanterre 92 and Metropolitans 92 at Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez on May 09, 2023, in Nanterre, near Paris, France. (Christian Liewig – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
Wembanyama already has a couple of silver medals to his credit.
He won silver at the FIBA European Under-16 Championship in 2019 and took home another silver medal in 2021 at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup.
Victor Wembanyama #1 of Metropolitans 92 handles the ball during the game against G League Ignite on October 4, 2022 at The Dollar Loan Center Arena in Henderson, Nevada. (David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images)
The next year would present the first opportunity for Wembanyama to represent his native country at the Olympic Games.
The USA team defeated the French men’s team in the final of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
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The France men’s basketball team has never taken home the gold medal at the Olympics, but having Wembanyama on the roster should boost the team’s prospects in 2024.