Victor Wembanyama Prepares for Paris Spotlight as France Pursues Olympic Medal

Victor Wembanyama is set to experience the Olympic spotlight for the first time — right in the host city itself.

During the first week of the Paris Games, the basketball tournament took place in a more remote location, away from Paris's grandeur and vibrant atmosphere.

As a result, only the most dedicated fans who traveled to Lille, near the northern city, had the chance to see the 20-year-old star’s initial three games in his Olympic debut with France.

This changes on Tuesday when Wembanyama and his team begin the knockout stage with a quarterfinal clash against Canada.

ROAD TO GOLD 

Men’s #Basketball Quarter-Finals are here#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/rCdpqMzulb

— FIBA (@FIBA) August 3, 2024

Wembanyama is ready for his moment in the spotlight, and he’s confident that France is prepared for the challenge of being one of the final eight teams in the tournament for the fourth consecutive Olympics. The silver medalists from Tokyo 2021 are in the same bracket as the 2023 FIBA World Cup champions, Germany.

“If we want to win it all, we’re going to have to beat everyone eventually,” Wembanyama said.

France won its first two group stage games, defeating Brazil and Japan, but a loss to Germany revealed some issues with team cohesion between Wembanyama and fellow 7-footer Rudy Gobert.

If France can overcome Canada and then the winner of the Germany-Greece matchup in the semifinals, they might face a rematch with the United States, who defeated France in the Tokyo gold medal game. This time, however, France would have Wembanyama on their side.

While not wanting to look too far ahead, France's Evan Fournier acknowledged that the U.S. is the team to beat.

“The obvious choice is the USA. They are definitely the No. 1 contender,” Fournier said. “But there are a few other teams with a shot. It’s basketball—anything can happen in a single game, so we’ll see.”

France coach Vincent Collet recognized concerns from the loss to Germany, including periods of offensive stagnation. France had only 15 assists on 25 field goals in that game, a trend Collet plans to address.

“We need to address these issues but also stay united and use this experience for the next round,” Collet said. “Now, it’s a fresh start. If we’re down and Canada is up, we’ll be starting from zero on Tuesday. They have more to lose, so we need to use that to our advantage.”

Collet emphasized the importance of sticking to the fundamentals that helped in the wins over Brazil and Japan—particularly maintaining simplicity on the court and not letting individual plays overshadow team needs.

“The key is focusing on the basics: fundamentals, energy, and the simple things like screens, passes, and quick movements,” Collet said. “We shouldn’t hold onto the ball or try to play one-on-one.”

Wembanyama is confident that France has what it takes to stand on the medal podium by the end of the week.

“We’ve all got the right attitude and energy,” he said. “Now we need to trust the coaching staff and our teammates even more.”