Victor Wembanyama, who has been the subject of much discussion in the basketball community, is currently getting ready to make his senior team debut with the French national team in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.

The emerging talent from Le Chesnay, who is anticipated to be selected first overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, has been making waves with his performances for the club side Metropolitans 92. He possesses a one-of-a-kind skill set that is winning him growing appreciation.

Wembanyama, who is only 18 years old, is finally receiving the opportunity to demonstrate his talent at the senior international level, and this gives France a better chance of qualifying for the World Cup in 2019.

The budding phenom granted an exclusive interview to FIBA.basketball in order to discuss his goals with the national team in front of what is expected to be the first of many international caps. The discussion covered a wide range of topics.

You recently finished off your first few days competing with the senior national squad; how do you feel about it?
I’m feeling great and I couldn’t be happier to be here with the lads and to be able to represent my country. Because achieving this has always been a very significant objective of mine, and now that it has finally come to fruition, I am really delighted that it has happened to me so early in my professional career.

Every day and every session is fun for me, and I’m happy to be here because I want to contribute to the success of the national team while also continuing to expand my knowledge and skills. I am thankful to have this opportunity, and I am eager to contribute to helping ‘Les Bleus’ win both of their next games so that they may move closer to securing a spot in the next FIBA Basketball World Cup.

You were a member of the French national youth team and earned a number of medals during your time there. How do you feel whenever you put on the “bleu” shirt and play for your team?

Oh, it’s one of a kind, profound, and very, very remarkable. It is impossible for me to deny that it is a tremendous honor to represent my country, and the amount of pride that I feel and the amount of motivation that I have to contribute to the national team are both extremely high.

Every time I have had the opportunity to compete for my country’s national team thus far in my brief professional career, I have embraced the experience and endeavored to get the most out of it. Playing for your country gives you the sense that you are a part of something extraordinary and exceptional. I am extremely pleased to be French, very proud to be a member of that team, and very thrilled for the upcoming days, weeks, months, and years with Team France. I am very proud to be a part of that team.

You are also likely enjoying the most successful stretch of your young career to date…

Yes, that is correct; nevertheless, I don’t take anything for granted, and I am well aware that I am capable of and will continue to improve upon my performance. But I am here for the team, and to bring my strengths and assist my teammates win both of those games. Although it is incredibly satisfying to be at a fantastic time and playing at a great level so far this season, I am here for the team. Because basketball is a team sport, each player is expected to make a contribution of some kind in order for the group to succeed and continue to get better as a whole.

First and foremost, I will contribute my defensive presence, and I will do all in my power to be an excellent teammate. I am not concerned about the contributions that I am capable of making to the team; all I want is to be of assistance and to come out on top. That is what everyone of us wants, and that is the objective for the next available opportunity. Every time I step foot on a basketball court, I have the same overarching goal in mind: I want to come out on top.

What do you anticipate from your first game, which will take place on Friday and will take place away from your home in Lithuania?

I anticipate that we will triumph and that we will compete valiantly, beginning with the defense. I am a member of the team, and I am going to do what I can to assist the other guys in any way that I can. I am well aware that there will be a great deal of attention focused on me, but by this point, I have been accustomed to it, and I am prepared to face the challenge.

Because it is going to be so thrilling, I am actually keeping track of the days till it arrives, and I can’t wait to don the jersey and engage in the fight. Since the beginning of training camp, we have been putting in a lot of effort, and our goal is to earn two victories within that time frame. First, we are going to play against the team that is currently in first place in our group, which is never an easy place to win, and then we are going to play at home against a squad that is known for being very consistent. We hope to get two wins

You worked with coach Vincent Collet at Metropolitans, and you are currently working with him on the French national team.

Due to the fact that we are quite familiar with one another, transitioning from one to the other is fairly simple (laughs). It’s great to be working with Coach Collet, who is a dedicated coach who truly knows how to assist the men improve their game and is very dedicated to the national team. Working with him has been quite rewarding. I really enjoy working with him at both my club and now on the national team.

He has a lot of medals, and he has helped a lot of men achieve to the best level possible. That makes it easier for me to adjust to the team, but I also know about the way he likes to work, and because of that, I am really excited to be working with him at Boulogne-Levallois and also with ‘Les Bleus.’

The times are really exciting for you on many levels; but, is participating in the FIBA Basketball World Cup something you want to do the following year?

There are still many months left for me to play with my squad, but if I had the chance to play and win titles and medals with the national team, it would be amazing. I want to play in the World Cup, the Olympics, and the EuroBasket, and I also want to contribute to France’s continued success in the sport of basketball so that it may continue to add memorable chapters to its annals. My goal is to have a very long career while wearing the blue jersey, and to make people happy and proud to realize that France is one of the most competitive teams in the world. These are very exciting times, that much is certain, and we all want to be a part of the very good next years as well as the tournaments that are slated to take place in the upcoming upcoming years.

The FIBA Basketball Cup in 2023, the Olympic Games in 2024 to be held in Paris, and the EuroBasket in 2025…those are a lot of chances to pack the trophy case full of medals and trophies!
Yes! Without a doubt, the following few years will be packed with amazing competitions, and all of us are thinking about it already. We have to take things one step at a time, but our goals and our drive remain the same: to maintain France ranked among the top teams in the world and to bring medals and titles back to France. The next few years are going to be filled with a ton of excitement, and I can’t wait to meet all of the difficulties that will be thrown my way.

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