Wembanyama Returns to the French National Team
The San Antonio Spurs star dons the national jersey for the first time since the Paris Olympics, now under new head coach Freddy Fauthoux.
The San Antonio Spurs star dons the national jersey for the first time since the Paris Olympics, now under new head coach Freddy Fauthoux.
Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs center, has returned to the French national basketball team after more than two years away. He last played for the national side in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics, where France lost to the United States. Now, the 2.24-meter-tall basketball player returns with a completely different status, crowned as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and finishing third in the MVP voting, as reported by France Info.
Wembanyama spoke to the media in Orléans about the new challenge ahead under head coach Freddy Fauthoux, who succeeded Vincent Collet two years ago. "It's good; I realize I haven't learned new systems or new forms of play in a long time because we're completely changing things with Freddy (Fauthoux) and the new staff, so it's an interesting challenge," Wembanyama said.
Although the team has changed, Wembanyama sees no issue in adapting. "We're all a bit new-Freddy too, and Evan (Fournier) is also coming back after a long time. It's not difficult; I've actually played against or with almost everyone," added the French center.
The French team will play two friendly matches against Serbia. The first is scheduled in Belgrade at 8:30 PM, and the second at the Co'met d'Orléans arena in Orléans at 6:00 PM. After that, the 16 called-up players begin the second round of qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar, which consists of six games spread across three windows of two games each until February 28.
In the qualifiers, France first hosts Slovenia on August 27 in Paris at 8:30 PM, and three days later travels to Sweden for a 5:30 PM start.
Wembanyama is particularly looking forward to playing in front of French fans again. "I can't wait, I can't wait to see how the crowd has evolved, because this is a sport that's growing in France," he said. He also emphasized the importance of the national jersey: "Wearing the blue jersey is powerful because it's about short-term goals, the intensity of an Olympic Games-we're talking about a few weeks. We know there are very few games in an international career, so each one truly counts."
Wembanyama did not participate in EuroBasket 2025 or the last qualifying games, and in June 2026, he lost the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs.
