PARIS — Victor Wembanyama stole the show with a spectacular one-handed dunk as France began its preparations to win the gold medal in men's basketball at the Paris Olympics.
In a promising sign of things to come, the NBA Rookie of the Year was all smiles after an emphatic two-handed dunk in a 96-46 win over Turkey on Wednesday night. He scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed six rebounds in front of a sellout crowd of about 5,500 in Rouen.
It was the first of six matches France will play in preparation for the Olympics, which run from July 26 to August 11.
“Victor played the 'Wenby game', was imposing defensively and versatile in attack, something we've never seen before with France,” captain Nicolas Batum said. “He's a great asset for us and we can use him in many situations.”
The 20-year-old San Antonio Spurs star combined well with veteran Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, who was playing with him for France for the first time. The 32-year-old Gobert was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year for a record-tying fourth time, while Wenbanyama finished second in the voting.
“We still have work to do,” Batum said, looking ahead to the Olympics. “But we have two great players. [Wembanyama and Gobert],very helpful.”
Washington Wizards rookie guard Bilal Coulibaly also played impressive defense.
France lost 87-82 to the United States in the gold medal game at the Tokyo Olympics, but hopes are high that coach Vincent Collet's side can win gold on home soil. France is considered one of the strongest teams in the tournament, alongside the United States, Canada, Serbia and world champions Germany.
Last week, Wenbanyama was asked about the possibility of a France-USA final, in which he would face the likes of LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
“I can't wait to play them. It's going to be a very interesting matchup,” Wembanyama said in Paris. “As a basketball player, it's a dream to play against the U.S. team and also to play against those players, those legends.”
France's first Group B opponent at the Olympics will be the winner of the final qualifying tournament later this week, after which France will face Japan and Germany in a 12-team match in the northern city of Lille.
Ouenbanyama's rapid rise and the emergence of new talent have seen French basketball enjoy immense popularity.
The top two picks in this year's NBA draft were Frenchmen Zachary Lisacher (Atlanta Hawks) and Alexandre Sarr (Wizards), while Tijan Saloun was selected sixth by the Charlotte Hornets.
France joined the United States as the only countries to have three players selected in the top 10 of the NBA Draft, with Pacôme Dadier (New York Knicks) and Melvin Ajinkya (Dallas Mavericks) giving France five players selected overall.
