Victor Wembanyama has been added to France's 15-man roster for the second round of FIBA World Cup qualifying, the French Basketball Federation announced Saturday.
The San Antonio Spurs superstar last suited up for France at the 2024 Olympics, where he helped his nation earn a silver medal on home soil. The 7-foot-4 center averaged 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, two steals, and 1.7 blocks across six contests, resulting in him being named the tournament's Rising Star and earning a spot among the All-Star Five.
"It's extremely important for the future of the project we want to carry out," France head coach Frederic Fauthoux said of Wembanyama's participation, per FIBA. "Victor is the undisputed leader of this generation. His presence needs to become a tangible presence to create automatic plays with the others, both on the court and in their lives outside of basketball. It's as simple as that."
France is set to square off against Slovenia on Aug. 27 and Sweden on Aug. 30. Wembanyama will be joined by fellow NBAers Rudy Gobert of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Maxime Raynaud of the Sacramento Kings. Ex-Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier is also in the fold for Les Bleus.
France currently leads Group L in qualifying with a 5-1 record.
Wembanyama is coming off his strongest NBA campaign, during which he averaged 25 points, 11.5 boards, 3.1 assists, and a league-leading 3.1 blocks over 64 appearances. The Frenchman finished third in MVP voting, captured his first Defensive Player of the Year award, and earned an All-NBA first-team selection. He also led the Spurs to their first Finals appearance since 2014.
