Wembanyama leads France to victory in Olympics debut

The Spurs star dominated Brazil to kick off the Paris Olympics.

Victor Wembanyama is the lone San Antonio Spurs player in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Throwing aside patriotism, Spurs fans are rooting hard for the French national team to take home a medal. They took one step toward that goal in a 78-66 win over Brazil.

Wembanyama started slowly but dominated the rest of the game in front of his fellow countrymen. He finished with a game-high 19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks while shooting 7-13 from the field. A shorter Brazilian squad struggled with Wembanyama’s length as he and Rudy Gobert locked down the paint in the second half.

France initially came out of the blocks slow, perhaps overwhelmed by the intensity of the Paris crowd. Brazil shot out like a gun, physically pressuring the French ball-handlers and moving the ball effectively on offense. Leonardo Meindl hit a pair of threes, and Joao Cardoso put Gobert on a poster. With a 23-15 lead in the first quarter, it looked like Brazil would give France a run for its money.

In their tune-up games, France struggled to find ways to get Wembanyama involved early. That problem persisted into its first group stage game. In the second quarter, Wembanyama took over and brought the French back. They finally started looking for the big man on the block, and he made things happen with some sweet post moves over smaller defenders. He, Gobert and Nicolas Batum were major difference makers on the defensive end, stymying Brazil in the half-court and creating advantages on the break. Both teams struggled with turnovers, but France narrowly won the giveaway battle 19-20.

“He was a little bit nervous,” French head coach, Vincent Collet told Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News. “In France, everyone waits for him. You have people who understand basketball that know he’s only 20 years old. But people that like sports but don’t know basketball? They think he’s Michael Jordan.”

It was a superstar performance from Wembanyama in his first Olympic game. His play in the second quarter completely changed the game’s trajectory. After halftime, France continued to play well. In the fourth quarter, when it seemed like Brazil might make a comeback, the French relied upon the veteran Batum to seal the game. He finished with 19 points and 2 steals while knocking down clutch threes in the final frame.

France will take on Japan in its next matchup on Tuesday, July 30th at 10:15 a.m. CT. Wembanyama and company will look to improve their standing in group play and put themselves in a position to win a medal.