Wembanyama returns to French national team after two-year absence
Victor Wembanyama has been named in France's squad for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers, marking his first appearance since the 2024 Olympics.
NBA star Victor Wembanyama is set to make his return to the French national team for the first time since the 2024 Olympics, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) announced on Saturday. The 22-year-old has been included in the squad for the first two matches of the main qualifying round for the 2027 World Cup, scheduled for late August against Slovenia and Sweden. He will also feature in two warm-up games against Serbia one week before the qualifiers.
Wembanyama had been forced to withdraw from Euro 2025 after failing to fully recover from a venous thrombosis in his right shoulder, which ended his 2024/25 NBA season early. French national team coach Frederic Fauthoux described Wembanyama's return as "extremely important for the future of the project we want to pursue." "Victor is the undisputed leader of this generation. We need him here so that a relationship can develop with the rest of the squad, both on and off the court," Fauthoux added. This will be Fauthoux's first time coaching the 2023 NBA draft No. 1 overall pick, having taken over from Vincent Collet after the Paris Games.
In the 2024 Olympics final, France lost to the United States 98–87, with Wembanyama leading all scorers at 26 points and grabbing seven rebounds. During the last NBA season, the Frenchman averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, a league-best 3.1 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game for the San Antonio Spurs, who reached the NBA Finals but fell to the New York Knicks. Wembanyama was unanimously voted NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and the Spurs posted a 62-20 record, the second-best in the league. Their playoff run included victories over Portland, Minnesota, and Oklahoma City before the finals.
