PARIS — He heard them.
There were 12 seconds left in France’s dogfight with the defending World Cup champion Germany, a 40-minute slugfest in front of a delirious, ravenous sold-out crowd at Bercy Arena, desperate to lift the host nation’s men’s basketball team back to an Olympic final. And there stood Victor Wembanyama, still just 20 years old, having missed the first of two free throws, with his team hanging on to a precarious 70-68 lead, awaiting his second free throw.
And then, the crowd spoke.
Wemby …Wemby … Wemby … they chanted, rhythmically clapping in between.
“I think, definitely, it definitely helps, pushes us even more. But I’m trying to, in those situations, I’m trying to close (my ears) to everything, focus on myself,” Wembanyama said. “I know how to make free throws. It’s just simple as that.”
And he made the second, giving France a three-point lead. Seconds later, France had hung on, 73-69, getting back to the gold medal game for a second straight Olympics, setting off a wild celebration between players, coaches and fans. It continues a remarkable run for Les Blues, who knocked out Canada, ranked seventh in the world by FIBA coming into the Games, and Germany, ranked third, in order to return to the title game Saturday night.
And Wembanyama, the Spurs’ franchise player, taking part in his first Summer Games for his native country, has been at the literal and figurative center of it all.
Thursday, he again struggled shooting from the floor as he has much of the tournament, making just 4 of 17, and finished with just 11 points. But he also had seven rebounds and three blocks, and shut down the Germans from getting into the paint and finishing. He stuffed Dennis Schröder on a particularly harsh swat, and kept other NBA players like Franz Wagner and Daniel Theis from doing much in the lane, either. It was a game that, as the Hall of Fame TV analyst Doug Collins used to say, Wembanyama had his fingerprints all over.
“I told him at halftime, I don’t give a damn if you miss your shot — dominate the defensive end. And he did,” his French teammate Nicolas Batum said. “He did last game (against Canada). He did tonight. Shot it enough for us at some point. And then he made a 3 in the fourth quarter (to put France up by eight), then he made the free throws. I don’t care about that (offense). Keep shooting. But at the other end, you’ve got to be the biggest monster we’ve ever seen in this competition. And he did the last two games, and he did it tonight. It was amazing.”
Batum had a pretty big defensive moment himself, chasing down Schröder midway through the third quarter to block his layup attempt. It was the kind of play you have to make to win an Olympics. France made them over and over, erasing an early 10-point deficit to get back in the game, then to take over late in the third, on the strength of its stifling interior defense.
Wagner, the Orlando Magic’s rising star, scored five points in the first two minutes. He scored five more points in the final 38 minutes.
It helped the French that Germany just beat them by 14 in Group B play less than a week ago. After that game, French national coach Vincent Collet shook up his lineup, benching Rudy Gobert and putting Wembanyama front and … center, with four smalls around him. It seems to have uplifted and energized the group.
“Between us, the players, we were just remembering how they were laughing last game, how easy it looked for them,” Wembanyama said. “I’m sure losing that game in the group phase helped us win today. Definitely.”
He had blood on his jersey, a scratch on his neck. He didn’t mind. Everyone in the home whites was emotional after the win. He noted that the French national anthem speaks of the nation’s countrymen being willing to spill blood for the glory of the country:
Allons enfants de la patrie,
Le jour de gloire est arrivé!
Contre nous de la tyrannie
L’étendard sanglant est levé!
Let’s go children of the fatherland,
The day of glory has arrived!
Against us tyranny’s
The bloody flag is raised!
As ever, Wembanyama doesn’t shy away from any of the outside expectations that were put on him since he became a teenager. He’s always sought out the smoke, not out of ego, but because he genuinely seeks to be among the all-time greats when he’s done playing.
He wanted to go No. 1 in the NBA Draft, and he made that happen. He wanted to be Rookie of the Year. He was a unanimous selection. He wants to win lots of NBA championships. That will depend on his San Antonio teammates, the Spurs’ front office and coach Gregg Popovich, in attendance Thursday at Bercy to watch his young star.
Wembanyama wants to be legendary.
He’s getting there.
(Photo: Manu Reino / Getty Images)
