The French national team announced Victor Wembanyama as its captain ahead of the FIBA World Cup European qualifiers. At just 22-years-old, Wembanyama just led the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA Finals as their unquestioned leader. The unanimous Defensive Player of the Year claimed Western Conference Finals MVP honors after the Spurs' victory over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Being captain is first and foremost about setting an example, being a leader, through performance on the court, knowing the systems, the opponents and bringing calm," Wembanyama said, via FIBA. "This window is a good opportunity to experience this new chapter with the coaching staff as a captain," he continued. "It's probably earlier than I expected, and likely earlier than everyone else expected.
But it's not rushed either. I wasn't expecting it until [French coach Frédéric Fauthoux] told me, but it's a great honor." Team France will face off against Nikola Jokic and Team Serbia in two friendly matchups on Thursday and Sunday. Then, they'll host Slovenia for their first European qualifier matchup on Aug. 27.
The Spurs will open up their 2026-27 regular-season with a matchup against the Thunder on Oct. 20.
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