Victor Wembanyama wasted no time setting the tone for France on Thursday.
In his first official appearance for the French national team since the 2024 Paris Olympics - and his first as captain - the San Antonio Spurs star delivered 22 points in 21 minutes as Les Bleus rolled past Slovenia, 92-67, in a qualifying game for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027.
France never found itself in trouble. With Wembanyama leading the way and Slovenia missing Luka Dončić, who is sitting out the qualifying matches citing personal reasons, the French controlled the game from start to finish.
"We worked well, we took the game seriously," Wembanyama said following the game per BasketNews, translated from French. "We approached every quarter the way we needed to."
He finished with nine rebounds, a block and 60 percent shooting from the field. After France split two friendlies against Nikola Jokić and Serbia before this qualifying window - losing the first 90-87 when Wembanyama had 10 points and four rebounds, then winning the second 91-90 with 18 points - this was another clear step forward.
Against Slovenia, Wembanyama made sure the message was loud early.
"When we attack the basket ... from the start of the game," Wembanyama began, "there isn't much they can do. Physically, we have qualities that they don't necessarily have."
That kind of edge was exactly what France needed, even if the opponent was missing its biggest name. Wembanyama still wanted the standard to stay high.
"Who else is going to do it?" Wembanyama joked.
"Who else but me has that responsibility? That was my intention, and everyone responded ... we made mistakes in the previous game that we didn't repeat today.
It wasn't perfect, but it was good."
French coach Frédéric Fauthoux, who made Wembanyama France's youngest captain since Tony Parker in 2003, sounded just as convinced afterward.
"Victor is the leader of this team," the coach said of Wembanyama per Basket Europe, translated from French. "and like any great leader, he provided the momentum."
Wembanyama had plenty of help. Maxime Raynaud and Matthew Strazel each scored 13 points, while Rudy Gobert added nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks. France’s size showed up throughout the night, even as Fauthoux rotated through his frontcourt pieces.
"Regardless of the rotations, we played with three centers ... and the level never dropped," Wembanyama said. "We're showing more and more that our rotations are consistent."
The win leaves France on top of Group L with 13 points. Finland, Hungary and Sweden are all tied at 11, while Estonia and Slovenia each have 10. The top three teams will advance to next summer’s World Cup in Qatar.
France’s next and final game in this second qualifying window comes Sunday on the road against Sweden. Tipoff from Avicii Arena is set for 10:30 a.m. Central on Courtside 1891.
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