By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Joakim Noah joining Zach Randolph and Tony Allen on the Out The Mud Podcast went into an interesting discussion about Victor Wembanyama and the constant talent production in France.
“When you look at him play, he’ll do shit you’re like, ‘I’ve never seen that before’. He’s special,” the former player described the unprecedented viewing experience created by the superstar of the San Antonio Spurs and member of the senior national team of France, “You think you’ve seen it all until you see Wemby play basketball.”
A veteran of 734 NBA games, Noah went on to talk about the youth system in France.
“There’s issues in the American system right now, the way that guys are coming up. Professional teams in France have under-17, under-16 teams, all the way down to ten. So, when you are a ten-year-old, you can go on Saturday and see your pro team, your team play. They are pros on every level,” he compared France to the current situation in the United States, “The grassroots system is different over there. That’s why every year you’re seeing two or three French guys making it to the league. Because their youth system is real.”
In his second year with the Spurs in the league based in North America, Wembanyama is up to 25.1 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.9 blocks, 3.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest over 33 appearances, He is the driving force in a balanced 19-19 W-L tally, so far in the 2024-25 Regular Season.