By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
PARIS, France – Victor Wembanyama was visibly moved. Plus he had a scratch on his neck and a bit of blood on his jersey in the mixed zone.
He hadn’t even realized it.
“Oh, I have blood? As they say, we needed blood, sweat, and tears”.
France’s young star explained that the special feeling of playing for the national team led to the energy and passion that he and his teammates put on the court to beat Germany in the Olympic Games semifinal.
“I think the national team, this jersey, brings to us that different energy that we can’t find anywhere else,” Wembanyama said shortly after France booked the ticket to the gold medal game. “You can see how intense we’ve been in the last two games. It’s something that we all feel. As a real team, we love our jersey, we love our country, so we’re willing to do as much as this”.
Wembanyama emphasized how the French side was particularly motivated following the 71 – 85 loss to Germany in the Group Stage.
“Between us, the players, we were just remembering how they [Germany] were laughing in the last game,” Wembanyama said. “How easy it looked for them. I’m sure losing that game in the Group phase helped us win today, definitely.”
“Of course, there were lots of tactical instructions, of course, from the coaches. Great scouting this morning, yesterday, from the coaching staff,” Wembanyama added.
France changed a lot indeed after that defeat. Les Bleus defeated medal contender Canada in the quarterfinals and then checked the spot in the Final with the victory over Germany.
“We figured out ourselves a little bit more, using all our tools and avoiding the mistakes our opponents wanted to make,” Wembanyama said. “This is normal, as a team, to grow throughout a tournament like this.”
At 20 years of age, Wembanyama is an Olympic medalist in his first major tournament at a senior level with the French national team. It’s a special feeling but the San Antonio Spurs big man wants to keep his focus on the gold medal goal.
“It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. This is why I’ve been trying to keep some of that emotion we had over there,” Wemby said. “It was an incredible, incredible moment with the fans. They made it hard for me not to cry. So, I thank them for being as they are, and for enjoying as much as they do. this chance that we have, this thing that we’re all living”.
Photo credit: FIBA