Victor Wembanyama is heading back to San Antonio with mixed emotions after a summer that reminded him just how much Les Bleus mean to him.
In an interview with French outlet L'Équipe, the Spurs star said leaving France is going to hit harder than he expected. "There’s a lot of frustration," Wembanyama said.
"I didn’t expect to feel this frustrated, but seeing these guys I’ve known for such a long time feels so good. It’s going to be strange not being with them anymore."
That feeling comes after a busy stretch for France in the fourth qualifying window for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027. Wembanyama helped Les Bleus finish the summer 3-1, splitting two friendlies with Nikola Jokić and Team Serbia before France beat Team Slovenia without Luka Dončić and Team Sweden in the next qualifying games.
Across those four games, Wembanyama averaged 17 points and set the tone on the glass and around the basket. He didn’t need a huge shot volume to matter. As has often been the case late in playoff runs, he found other ways to tilt the game.
Getting there wasn’t always clean. Wembanyama said the team had to work through some growing pains as he adjusted to a different system.
"There was quite a bit of confusion in what we were doing," Wembanyama said. "Some of that was my fault because I was doing certain things without necessarily letting my teammates know ... (but) this is only the beginning ... things can only get better.”
France gave him the captain’s role before the second summer window, making him the youngest since Tony Parker in 2003 to wear that title for the national team.
French coach Frédéric Fauthoux had no hesitation backing the decision after Wembanyama’s summer run.
"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."
He added: "I think the future belongs to Victor."
France still hasn’t locked up its place in next summer’s World Cup. The team sits atop Group L with 15 points and a 7-1 record after getting through the first round of qualifiers, but four more games remain across two windows in late November and late February.
Wembanyama won’t be there for those games. He’ll be in the middle of his fourth NBA season with the Spurs, though he plans to follow along from Texas while France tries to punch its ticket to Qatar and he chases a second straight NBA Finals berth.
“We need to stay connected," Wembanyama said. "(I need to) follow my teammates’ results and stay in touch with the coach. That shouldn’t be too difficult.”
This summer also gave his France teammates a fresh look at the same curious, driven player Wembanyama has been since entering the NBA in 2023. Through a Rookie of the Year race, a battle with deep vein thrombosis and a long postseason run, he’s treated every stretch as another chance to grow.
For Evan Fournier, just having him around made an impact.
"Day-to-day, he's a great guy" Fournier said, via L'Équipe. "Focused on others.
Really wants to perform. The fact that he's here ... has been motivation for me to keep going.
Seeing a kid who wants to achieve things and puts in the work is inspiring."
Now Wembanyama is returning to San Antonio with a clear goal: be better than he was last season. The trip back to France doubled as a reset, with time spent as a tour guide for his current teammates and playing basketball with his fellow Frenchman.
With training camp 28 days away, he says he’s ready to get back to work - and he’s already looking ahead to another summer with Les Bleus.
"I’m learning to appreciate the good things again," he said. "I’m still really excited to return to San Antonio and get back to work. There’s nowhere else quite like it."
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