Victor Wembanyama: can France’s ‘exquisite linguine’ unite a nation at the Olympics?

IIn France, the days leading up to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris have unfolded in a tense atmosphere of heightened anxiety. Traffic bans, QR codes and security barriers have effectively blocked public access to central Paris, where most of Friday’s opening ceremony will take place. Parliamentary elections have thrown the country’s politics into disarray, with the contours of a new government still unclear weeks after left-wing parties banded together to form an electoral coalition to prevent the far right from taking power. A small industry of panels and podcasts has came into being Unpleasant debate whether France has any realistic hope of achieving President Emmanuel Macron’s goal of a top-five medal finish at the Olympics on home soil. And everywhere there is a broader cultural concern about France’s place in the world – in sport, in politics, in language – amid the continued supremacy of the United States and the rise of China and India, which has accompanied the countdown to Friday. The modern Olympics were, of course, the creation of a Frenchman – Pierre de Coubertin – and French remains one of the Games’ two official languages. But “over the past 30 years,” laments a recent article in the French press, the “language of Molière” has “lost ground to the language of Shakespeare.” “Will we speak French at these Olympic Games?” asks Le Figaro, sad.

Into this unusual climate of hope and declinism steps the barely credible frame of Victor Wembanyama. Everything about the 20-year-old French basketball prodigy is big: the potential, the hype and, of course, the height, which is impressive whether you call it American (7ft 4in) or European (224cm) in stature. After years of watching various Greeks (Giannis Antetokounmpo), Serbs (Nikola Jokić) and Slovenians (Luka Dončić) grab all the headlines for non-American players in the NBA, the French now have a genuine superstar to call their own, and he may be the closest thing to a sure thing the basketball world has seen since LeBron stomped around high school courts in Sampras shorts. After just one season in the NBA – during which he scored a series of miraculous goals, dominated players in the prime of their careers on both ends of the court, won the rookie of the year award by a unanimous vote and more than fulfilled the promise he announced with his number one selection in the 2023 draft – Wembanyama has become, along with Kylian Mbappé, the most recognizable French athlete in the world, and the expectations he has for these Games are immense.

But while Mbappé made his name in France, “Wemby” is now arguably bigger in America than he is on home soil: his stature, both literal and figurative, speaks volumes about France’s ability to project itself beyond Europe. He has become a symbol of something more than pure sporting excellence, and it’s no surprise that he is now, in many ways, the face of these Olympics. As Wemby’s star has risen over the past 12 months, the French media has followed every outburst and every little incident in the extended Wembanyamaverse with rapt fascination. The scoring exploits in the NBA, his recent call to avoid “extremes” in voting in the French elections, even the extensions made in the hotel bed where Wembanyama slept during his team’s pre-Olympic camp: everything has been reported and discussed in detail. It is no surprise that Macron himself – perhaps looking for a rebound after the cooling of his bromance with Mbappé – has tried to associate himself with Wembanyama wherever possible, presenting the young man as an example of his country’s dynamism, of French exceptionalism. “You already make us dream,” Macron said wrote after Wembanyama was confirmed as the top draft pick last year. And when Wembanyama’s rookie of the year award was confirmed, the French president said went even further: “Make it iconic!” Promise kept @wembyRookie of the Year! French pride. Bring on the Paris Olympics!” Bilingual, immensely talented on the field and articulately deliberate off it, Wembanyama is Macron’s dream of France as a “startup nation” come to life – a national champion with a global reach that everyone in a bitterly divided country can rally behind. At times, the one-sided presidential lovefest has become so intense, you wonder if Macron wants it are Wembanyama.

The man himself shows absolutely no sign of being impressed by the attention. During a recent interview with influential French YouTuber HugoDécrypte – a meeting that in itself dissected expanded by local media — Wembanyama reflected on the nickname “Alien” given to him by LeBron James, which has now become his default alias. “In life, in sports, I always try to bring something different — I attach great importance to originality, to being unique,” ​​he said. On and off the court, Wembanyama projects an effortless, light-hearted confidence in his own destiny that seems as much a product of talent as nurture. The Wemby story is not the tale of triumph over adversity or poverty typical of many second-generation immigrant children who rise to sporting fame in France. He grew up in Paris, but in the city’s comfortable western suburbs, and his parents are former athletes who stand taller than 6 feet (they also seem, of the photo on their still-operating wedding website, to chat about the coolest parents in the world of professional sports).

From those promising early years, his rise through the ranks of professional basketball has been, like his emerging teenage height, quietly assured. Wembanyama burst into the NBA on a cloud of anticipation, and his first season suggested, if anything, that those expectations were too modest. Most professional basketball players, even the very best, must make compromises to compensate for their deficiencies in skill or size; Wembanyama is that rare basketball creature who struts around the court without compromise, a player who can do it all on both ends of the court. Court vision, soft hands, shooting accuracy, quickness, defensive prowess and presence in the paint: at 20 years old, this exquisite linguine of a player has it all. Wembanyama is the basketball equivalent of the pasta pan’ssound of love”, and he’s become a must-see attraction for fans every night the San Antonio Spurs have been in action, roaming the NBA courts with a nonchalant, creamy sensuality. The one area where he could improve – his strength and durability – will surely come with time, as he grows into his frame and packs those skinny limbs with muscle. For Wembanyama, MVP awards, NBA titles and Olympic medals are the most seasoned basketball watchers agreea matter of time.

What Wembanyama has less control over, of course, is the quality of the players around him. San Antonio have time to build a franchise around their generational talent, but for the French team, who are vying for an Olympic gold medal Wembanyama has said is “achievable,” the pressure to perform on home soil is more immediate. Minnesota center Rudy Gobert is the other elite presence on the French roster, and NBA stalwarts Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum offer experience (if not a wealth of talent), but beyond that, the French will be hoping that a promising cast of youngsters surrounding Wemby — including Washington Wizards forward Bilal Coulibaly, a fellow 2023 first-round draft pick — can give their young superstar the support he needs to carry France beyond the team’s silverware in Tokyo.

The friendly matches ahead of France’s season opener against Brazil on Sunday were not exactly encouraging, as the French to lose their last four games in a row; opposing defenders are somewhat aware that if they double-mark Wembanyama out of the action, Les Bleus will have few other reliable routes to the basket. But France’s group looks relatively friendly, with reigning world champions Germany the biggest threat and none of the exciting unpredictability of Group A, which has brought together Australia, Greece, Canada and Spain. A quarter-final berth is the minimum French basketball hopes for their Olympics on home soil. But with Wembanyama on the court, the host nation can dream of the absolute maximum – and no one will dream, aim, block or shoot higher than Wemby himself.