After the tears of joy in the semi-final, Victor Wembanyama dried tears of disappointment after the defeat in the final against the United States. To console him, Kevin Durant spoke to him at length. Perhaps he told him that he was the future of basketball, and that his 26 points, at 20 years old, in an Olympic final was quite an achievement.
“It's not regret, it's sadness” he responds to the French press. “We're going to enjoy the moment. It's great. I'm proud of my teammates. I'm proud to have done what we did here in France in front of our fans. I'm going to let it all sink in and be aware of what's happening.” he confided after the meeting.
Number 1 for the Blues in all sectors!
Author of 15.8 points and 9.7 rebounds on average throughout the competition, the “Rookie Of The Year” had therefore kept the best for the end with his 26 points, the biggest total of the evening. What is quite crazy, and while he was not as brilliant as one could have imagined, is the fact that he finished as the best scorer, rebounder, passer, interceptor and blocker for the Blues!
“I always try to help my team according to the needs and I am ready to make any sacrifice,” he stressed. “Tonight, I scored points. In previous matches, the defense was too focused on me. My teammates did a good job taking responsibility. Isaia (Cordinier), Guerschon (Yabusele), Mathias (Lessort)… They were incredible throughout the playoffs. That’s what made us flourish.”
France on an upward slope
At 20, “Wemby” does not hide his ambitions, and he is already thinking about 2028 for the revenge in Los Angeles. For him, France can only progress with the arrival of the new generation (Risacher, Sarr, Traoré…).
“I'm learning and I'm worried about the opponents in a few years. The NBA, FIBA, everyone… It's definitely a slow process.”he acknowledges. “Of course, Europe is catching up a little bit and, as I said, it’s not a given. We may never get another chance, but they may never get another chance either. Nobody knows what’s going to happen. What’s for sure is that we’re growing. Basketball is growing here.”
Before thinking about tomorrow, he has only one thing on his mind: soaking up the Olympic Games. “I'm trying to realize that it's the Olympics. I have a lot of catching up to do, in a lot of disciplines… I'm going to absorb all of that, and realize that we were at the Olympics. Because we were a little bit out of it.”
