By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
San Antonio Spurs rookie star Victor Wembanyama went into some extra detail on the reasons he decided to skip the French national team’s trip to the 2023 World Cup.
“I had a long season with the Mets 92 and I’m going to have a long season with the Spurs,” Wembanyama told reporters after a Spurs practice. “And there’s the Olympics after that. I just think that more than two years without rest is too big of a risk. There are big events coming up like the Olympics, that I really don’t want to miss. To be able to be available for the French national team the next years, I feel I need to miss this one.”
Wembanyama played 44 games last season with the Metropolitans 92 in the French League. He averaged competition-highs 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks, along with 2.4 assists in the regular season to be named MVP as his team finished second in the standings.
In the playoffs, he had 17.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 blocks as the Mets 92 made the Finals where they lost 3-0 to EuroLeague third-place winners AS Monaco.
“It’s really hard,” Wembanyama added. “Because, for me, my career is going to be as much with the franchise as with the national team. There are titles to win with both. Missing the national team is like missing a season with the Spurs. It’s crazy, you know.”
The French national team is aiming to at least win a medal in the upcoming 2023 World Cup. With the exclusion of Wembanyama, all big names of Les Bleus will be present: Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, NBAers Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum (team captain), along with veteran star Nando De Colo. He and Batum are back with their national team after missing the 2022 EuroBasket.
France won a bronze medal in the previous two editions of the FIBA World Cup, in 2014 and 2019. They eliminated Team USA in the quarterfinals during the latter.