The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama as the number one overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and the French sensation is ready to get to work. Wembanyama made a name for himself with the French National team, and other professional leagues in that country, but he is now focused on his NBA career.
Shortly after being selected, Wembanyama announced that he will skip the FIBA World Cup this summer as he wants to focus on his NBA rookie season. That’s a big blow to France as that country was expected to be one of the favorites to win the event in the Philippines.
This decision from Wembanyama will impact France this summer, but he is expected to play for his home country in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The United States have been dominant in Olympic Men’s Basketball, but the 2024 event could create some challenges for the U.S.
The San Antonio Spurs are not expected to be a NBA championship contender this season, but they should see a huge improvement from where they were a season ago. Head coach Gregg Popovich is known as one of the best in the league, and he will put the young star in a position to succeed.
Change of Course
This announcement came as a bit of a shock to the France National Team as Wembanyama had been planning to play this summer. The top draft pick said that he came to this decision after discussing with his personal medical staff, and it would have been too many games over a two-year stretch.
The San Antonio Spurs were going to support whatever decision was made by Wembanyama, and they selected him knowing his intentions to play in the World Cup this summer. Instead, Wembanyama will get his NBA career started early as he intends to participate in parts of the NBA Summer League.
The FIBA World Cup will also be missing out on a chance to have Wembanyama participate, and it’s going to lessen the excitement of the event. Several of the top players from the United States are going to skip the event as well, as they don’t want to commit to playing international basketball in back-to-back summers.
Nikola Jokic has not made a decision on whether or not he will play in the event with Team Serbia, and that will have an impact on how the tournament plays out.
NBA Summer League Information
The NBA Summer League is set to begin on July 3, and most of the top draft picks are expected to participate. Summer League games will take place in three different locations, with games in Sacramento and Salt Lake City first.
The San Antonio Spurs are set to take on the Charlotte Hornets on July 3, and that is when Wembanyama is expected to make his NBA debut. That should come against Brandon Miller, the number two pick in the NBA Draft.
Every team in the league will compete in Las Vegas, and the championship game is scheduled for July 17.
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