NBA
San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama will not play for France in the FIBA World Cup to focus on his rookie season
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated26 Jun 2023
The San Antonio Spurs could not be more ecstatic to have French sensation Victor Wembanyama on their roster. He was taken with the #1 overall pick by the Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft. With all the hype surrounding the rookie’s career, Wembanyama is making tough decisions this summer. He announced that he will not play for France in the FIBA World Cup to focus on his rookie season.
At just 19, Wembanyama has enormous expectations from San Antonio and their fanbase. Previously, he said that he was excited to play with France in the FIBA World Cup this summer. After careful consideration with those closest to him, he decided that was not the best move for his career.
It’s a huge blow to France’s roster for the upcoming World Cup. They finished as silver medalists in the 2020 Olympic Games. France is expected to be a true contender in the upcoming World Cup, but they will not have the services of Victor Wembanyama.
Victor Wembanyama reverses decision and will not play for France in World Cup to focus on rookie season with Spurs & 2024 Olympics: https://t.co/Lv7OjSasMF
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) June 26, 2023
Victor Wembanyama made the decision that he will not be playing for France in the FIBA World Cup
The Spurs and Victor Wembanyama are on the same page for the start of his NBA career. They know Wembanyama is an elite NBA talent even if he hasn’t played his first game yet. In an interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe, Wembanyama said the Spurs would have supported whatever decision he made.
He said that playing in the World Cup would not be beneficial to his health or development. The 19-year-old has played a lot of basketball recently and has an entire NBA season coming up. Wembanyama played 62 games with Met 92 in the French League this past season.
With the French League, the 2023-24 NBA season, and the 2024 Olympic Games, that is a lot of basketball in a short amount of time. It’s an estimated 170 games played in a 24-month span. Playing in the World Cup would have been too much for Wembanyama.
According to reports, Wembanyama is planning on playing in at least one of San Antonio’s Summer League games in July. Both parties want the French sensation to be fully healthy and ready to go for the start of the 2023-24 NBA season.
