Wembanyama, Risacher, INSEP… How France becomes a superpower in the NBA

Victor Wembanyama is a unique standard bearer. But perhaps the craziest thing is that he is not alone. As the final of the Olympic Games once again reminded us, France is a power in international basketball. And in the NBA, it is becoming a superpower, behind the United States of course and Canada. The big North American League is indeed taking on a little French accent, obviously in the wake of Wemby. And it could even become even more pronounced in the coming years. “We are living in an incredible time for French basketball“, salivates Frédéric Weis, NBA consultant at BeIn Sport.

If France is turning a corner across the Atlantic, it is not necessarily by its presence in numbers but by the quality of its members. French basketball has indeed already experienced prosperous years with many players present in North American franchises. Because the tricolor phenomenon is not necessarily new. France has in fact placed more than 40 representatives in the draft since 1997 and Tariq Abdul-Wahad, more than any other country apart from the United States. But far from Tony Parker, Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Boris Diaw and other Nicolas Batum, many Frenchies have also had a frustrating experience on the other side of the Atlantic like Kilian Hayes (n°7 of the 2020 draft), Frank Ntilikina (8 in 2017), Ousmane Dieng (11 in 2022) or Sekou Doumbouya (15 in 2019).

However, a turn could now be taken. In addition to Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly who has a real role at the Wizards, the selections of Zaccharie Risacher (n°1), Alex Sarr (n°2) and Tidjane Salaün (n°6) in the first places of the last draft will in this sense. Because if this 2024 vintage was not the most anticipated and that is a mild understatement, this tricolor density in the front row is not insignificant. “We had players drafted high but some failed to really establish themselves. But when your players are first, second and sixth, you tell yourself that your country clearly countsappreciates Fred Weis. Especially since we have Nolan Traoré (editor’s note: leader of Saint-Quentin) who arrives. So in three drafts in a row, we are going to have guys in the top 10, which is incredible, monstrous even. It never happens.”

The reasons for this rise in power are legion. First of all, Wembanyama obviously made it possible to break down certain barriers. “There’s always has pioneers. For France, there was Tariq Abdul-Wahad, the first Frenchman who really played in the NBA. Then there was Tony Parker who showed that you could play and perform. And the third is Wemby. A player capable of being number 1 in the draft and performing immediately to be rookie of the year, explains the former pivot of the Blues. In addition, Wemby had roughly the same stats during his first year in the NBA as during his last season in France. So, we can say that the French championship is not that bad.“

Thanks to the Spurs star, the French team has seen an exceptional spotlight. But she didn’t wait for him either. For years now, the French Federation has found a winning recipe with a very structured system to detect the most promising young people from the age of 11. “We identify young people earlier and earlier to put them to work. The clubs are doing a huge jobe”, greets Fred Weis. And the federal center which allows young Tricolores to compete very early in Nationale 1 – the third French division – also helps the most promising to reach milestones. “They play against men. It’s very important“, remarks for AFP Marin Sedlacek, former “scout” for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA. “If you play in high school or college in the United States, you only play people your own age“, he compares. The Blues are thus mature sooner. And ready to take on the professional world more quickly.

If France has been able to rely for a long time on a rich pool of exceptional athletic qualities capable of attracting the NBA (speed, relaxation, velocity), the French team has also been able to rethink itself to erase certain shortcomings, in order to catch up, for example our best enemies, the Spanish. “We have made a lot of progress on basketball IQ, on understanding the game but also on making players play, not necessarily in predefined positions, like Wemby“, still appreciates Fred Weis, who also remarks: “We also have these very high quality physical trainers who know how to adapt and make our young people work to help them progress.“.

A winning cocktail which allows France to weigh in on the NBA scene while also gaining more and more depth in the Euroleague. And the formidable locomotive Wembanyama has only accelerated a process already underway.