By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
It comes as no surprise, but one of the biggest names who missed the recent FIBA World Cup clarified that he will play in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama will be in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, as he said in a press conference for the documentary “Un1que”, which follows his last season in France before getting drafted by the NBA.
As he said without hesitation: “Succeeding in the Olympics would be a great story. And there will be no goal other than gold. I will of course be present at the Olympics. I watched the World Cup and the result was very disappointing. However, I am not worried. I have no other criticism to make, I was not in the team and it is in the hands of top-level players. I feel that this does not alter the opportunity to do something big in Paris next year”.
Wembanyama refers to the fact that the French national team ended up not making it past the first round of the FIBA World Cup, a result that shocked everyone.
The young player explained why he couldn’t play this summer for the national team: “It was the first time in my life that I felt tired in my head, because of all the events that happened one after the other. Nothing negative. But the vacation, after the Summer League, was a necessity to continue calmly on a mental level. I took the time to isolate myself. This is the first time I have appeared in the media in three months. It did me good”.
As for his upcoming season in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, he added: “The ideal start would already be the playoffs. For the rest… the best thing is not knowing. I hope it will surprise me and it will be beautiful. It’s no secret that it’s hard to win a ring. But I’m patient, and I know it will happen. Not winning my first few years is no barrier to becoming a Hall of Famer or winning five later”.