With the NBA season still several months away, multiple star players played in an international friendly matchup between Serbia and France, including last season's MVP contenders Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama. The Denver Nuggets' Jokic led Serbia, putting on a typical Jokic-like performance with a near triple-double of 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a 90-87 win over Wemby's France. The San Antonio Spurs' 7-foot-4 center had a very uncharacteristic performance with just 10 points, four rebounds, and six turnovers during 24 minutes of game time.
Despite a disappointing performance from Wemby, Jokic made a strong statement after the game about the young phenom's future potential in the NBA. "But Victor definitely has an opportunity to be the most unique, the most basketball player that you've ever seen. It only depends on him how well he's gonna fit, how well he's gonna work hard, how well he's gonna get to his spots, treat his body well," Jokic said at a media session.
"He definitely has an opportunity to be the best ever." More news: Tyrese Maxey Weighs in on First Workout With LeBron James, Jaylen Brown As far as Jokic considering Wemby a basketball rival, he said he doesn't, even though he's another one of the best players in the world; he doesn't view their meetings that way. "He's definitely a special opponent, you know. Just because of how unique he is as a player, as a person, you know?
So, I don't see it as a rivalry ... I think I play every game the same way," he said. It's also worth noting that fellow Frenchman and NBA star Rudy Gobert didn't have the best game for France either.
The Minnesota Timberwolves star had just six points and three rebounds against Serbia. While Wemby didn't have his best outing, he did come up with a highlight block on a Jokic layup attempt during the friendly game. Jokic and Wemby are probably both looking to the upcoming NBA season as a fresh start for their respective teams.
The Spurs are coming off that disappointing loss in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks, and the Nuggets were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both All-Star players were among the top three contenders in the final voting for the NBA MVP Award. Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bested them for the award, with Jokic finishing second and Wemby in third.
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