The Blues will be able to count on their young interior star Victor Wembanyama for the last two qualifying matches for the World Cup-2023 on February 23 and 26, according to the selection unveiled by Vincent Collet on Monday January 23.
The France team, already qualified for the World Cup which takes place from August 25 to September 10 in three Asian countries (Philippines, Indonesia and Japan), will face the Czech Republic on February 23 in Pardubice before receiving Lithuania in the Loire Arena in Trélazé (Maine-et-Loire) on February 26.
Third and fourth selections in the blue jersey
Victor Wembanyama (19 years old, 2.21m) will have the opportunity to honor his third and fourth caps in the blue jersey after a successful debut against Bosnia and Herzegovina (19 pts) and Lithuania (20 pts) in november.
Big favorite to be number 1 in the next NBA draft next June, Victor Wembanyama is already a must in the group with his status as Elite top scorer (21.4 average points, 9.4 rebounds). He will accompany Vincent Collet, who is also his coach at the Metropolitans of Boulogne-Levallois. With Wembanyama, the Blues will seek to retain first place in Group K to be in a good position in the draw for the World Cup (April 29, 2023).
Expected in the NBA
Thursday, January 19, during the meeting NBA in Paris between Detroit and Chicago, there were stars on the field, others in the stands, and among them, Victor Wembanyama, who was able to measure his celebrity, a few months before his arrival in the NBA.
During a time out, midway through the second quarter, his face appeared on giant screens, and the ovation Bercy gave him was surpassed only by those received by basketball legends Tony Parker and “Magic” Johnson.
Shortly before the meeting, NBA boss Adam Silver was asked about the young prodigy’s arrival: ” I heard about a young man, I never had the opportunity to see him play, (…) I would be delighted to shake his hand “.
The young French basketball player, promised a bright future in the best championship in the world, watched from the edge of the field as the Chicago Bulls won against the Detroit Pistons (126-108).
The NBA is watching with interest the young man who passed through Asvel last season. Victor Wembanyama impressed the Americans in October, during a two-game tour against a team made up of young basketball hopefuls in Nevada, among others.