Is Victor Wembanyama playing tonight against Charlotte Hornets? Latest on Spurs star status for Summer League (July 6)
Victor Wembanyama will not play against the Charlotte Hornets on the opening night of the Summer League game on July 6. The San Antonio Spurs star is part of the French National Team, representing the country in basketball at the Paris Olympics.
Wembanyama won the Rookie of the Year Award for the 2023–24 season. Entering the 2023–24 season, Wemby was one of the most hyped-up players in recent history and the biggest since LeBron James in 2003.
Famously nicknamed "Alien," Wembanyama proved last season that he can be one of the best players in the NBA. After the NBA, he is already proving too much to handle for any team at the Olympics.
Victor Wembanyama and France faced Turkey in the warm-up match for the Paris Olympics. He finished with a game-high 24 points and six rebounds as France routed Turkey 96-46.
Victor Wembanyama can't wait to face LeBron James and Team USA
The last time Team USA and the French National Team faced each other in the Olympics was in Tokyo. Kevin Durant-led Team USA defeated France in the gold medal game by 87-82. However, France didn’t have Victor Wembanyama then.
This time around, Team USA Men’s Basketball, led by LeBron James, has assembled top NBA stars to silence the debate concerning USA's dominance in basketball. With Hall of Fame players like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry on the roster, Wembanyama said he couldn’t wait to face those legends.
"I can't wait to face them. It will be a very interesting matchup," Wembanyama said in Paris. "As a basketball player, it's also a dream to play against Team USA and even against all those players, all those legends."
Team USA has won gold medals in basketball at the last four Olympics. The last time they failed to win a gold medal was in 2004, when they finished third behind gold medalists Team Argentina and silver medalist Team Italy.
It would be interesting to see France and the USA meet in the gold medal game at the Olympics. The French team is certainly better and the USA team is perhaps the most lethal team assembled since the 2008 Redeem Team.