Victor Wembanyama receives special message from French PM Gabriel Attal after Olympic silver
Victor Wembanyama was visibly left in tears after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the 2024 Paris Olympics men’s basketball final against Team USA. France came as close as three points with around three minutes remaining in the game, but a Steph Curry flurry meant the Americans won 98-87.
While the French squad couldn’t get the job done, Wemby did put the world on notice with 26 points and seven rebounds. At just 20 years old, he led all scorers in the final, surpassing greats such as Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant in that category.
The defeat must have hurt, but with time, Victor Wembanyama must be getting back to his usual self. He shared a montage of photos from his first Olympics experience on Instagram on Tuesday. He captioned the post:
“It’s just the beginning… Merci la France, merci aux supporters français. Éternellement reconnaissant.”
The post drew the attention of France Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. The premier left an encouraging message for Wemby in the comments section:
“Thank you for the emotions and bravo for this course. This is just the beginning. And what a start!”
The loss marked the second straight Olympics where France failed to get past Team USA in the final hurdle. A similar result was seen in Tokyo in 2021. However, on that occasion, the Frenchmen defeated the Americans in the group stage. This year, however, Team USA went undefeated to take home its 17th Olympic basketball gold.
Victor Wembanyama left sharp warning for opponents after loss in Olympics final
Team USA might have gotten the better of Victor Wembanyama in Paris but things could drastically change in the upcoming years. The San Antonio Spurs center is one of the best young players in the NBA and is coming off of a Rookie of the Year season. While he was clearly devastated after the tough loss, he left a chilling message for his basketball opponents, via Olympics.com:
“I’m learning, and I’m worried for the opponents in a couple of years - everywhere.”
After achieving so much at such a young age, sky's the limit for Wembanyama. He will only get better with experience, which should spell trouble for his opponents in the NBA and international stage. And after last week’s heartbreak, what better way to avenge the loss to Team USA than at the Americans’ homeground in LA 2028?