Blocked by the agreements between FIBA and the NBA which prohibit American League players from starting opposition training more than 28 days before the start of a tournament, Victor Wembanyama will begin Olympic preparation with the French team at starting this Friday, June 28. Before putting on his size 55 sneakers, he sat down at Insep this Thursday to talk about politics, the draft and the Games.
What is your position for the next legislative elections?
Victor Wembanyama. Of course, political choices are personal but I think it is important to move away from extremes. I think this is not at all the direction to take for a country like ours. Even though it’s a very personal opinion, that’s how I feel.
What is your opinion on the NBA fantasy draft for French basketball?
I feel a lot of pride, enormous pride. I stayed up to follow her. My first reaction was: it’s not yet enough for French basketball! If we have made number 1s twice, we can still do it a third time and even a fourth. There will of course be less prosperous years but my desire is focused on how I can help French basketball and that starts with performance.
What advice can you give to Zaccharie Risacher?
If I had to give him just one, it would be: be yourself, don’t let the pressure get to you, don’t let it change you.
“I am excited and looking forward to sharing the field with my teammates and especially with Rudy. »
How are you approaching the Games with all the demands that await you?
I approach it like I approach the rest of things in my past and future life. Being here, preparing for and playing the Games is first and foremost a sporting pleasure and a challenge. Being part of this team is an everyday job. I have no worries about that because I know that I have more important challenges to take on on the court than those concerning extra basketball and the demands. Regarding my place in the team, I remain the same, natural, sober.
Are you nevertheless aware of the craze you are going to generate this summer?
I tend to underestimate this phenomenon. I don’t pay any more attention to it than that. I don’t watch the news about myself all the time, I don’t hang out on social media and I try to only take the positive from this situation.
Many French athletes say they want to take a photo with you. How do you react ?
It doesn’t flatter me but it makes me happy to see all these positive energies directed towards me. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>
How long have you been thinking about the Olympic Games?
I have been preparing for the Games since the first time I saw them on TV, without actually remembering which edition it was. Participating in the Games was first a dream, then as I grew up and matured, it became a goal because it is the most important event in the world.
How do you plan to play with Rudy Gobert to form the pair of the two best defenders in the NBA?
It’s sure that it will bring something new. Our objectives are things that French basketball has never achieved before. Personally, I am excited and impatient to share the field with my teammates and especially with Rudy. We talk about it a lot with the staff and the players. We are on the same wavelength, we share the same synergy, the same ambitions.
“A goal is not only words but also actions and I hope to make my contribution. »
A year after the failure in the World Cup, is your goal to win something other than the gold medal?
What happened last year at the World Cup (elimination in the first round) is not something that worries me. And since I wasn’t there, it’s difficult for me to talk about it, but losing is also part of a career. What I see this year is that everyone is standing in the starting blocks, ready to set foot on the pitch, with incredible involvement and intensity. The objectives come from what I already see at the start of preparation. A goal is not only words but also actions and I hope to make my contribution.
What do you think of the American team which seems like a scarecrow?
It’s already exciting to have known all these players on the field and to have faced them. I hope now that we will have the chance to compete against them because it will be a very interesting match. When you’re a basketball player, it’s always a dream to play against Team USA and all these legends. Just in the NBA, every game against Steph (Curry) or LeBron (James) is already something special.
Will this Olympic tournament be the toughest in history?
I don’t know yet. We will only be able to draw all the conclusions after the competition.
2024-06-27 15:42:54
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