French basketball star Victor Wembanyama says he’s nonetheless struggling to return to phrases with the fulfilment of “a dream” as he prepares to characterize the host nation on the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The San Antonio Spurs standout, the primary decide in final 12 months’s NBA draft, mentioned he was approaching his first worldwide competitors “like another sporting expertise however with much more calls for”.
“There’s numerous pleasure. It’s exhausting to imagine it’s actually the Olympics,” Wembanyama instructed reporters in a video name from the French workforce’s coaching base in Wattignies, the place it would keep throughout the group stage in Lille.
“It’s totally different from different Olympics I’ve watched. I feel it would solely sink in after I’ve heard the Marseillaise (nationwide anthem) for the primary time, it’s nonetheless a dream,” he mentioned.
France, who gained silver on the Tokyo Olympics three years in the past, begins its marketing campaign on Saturday towards Brazil.
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The workforce has suffered 4 successive defeats, to Germany, Serbia, Canada and Australia, however Wembanyama mentioned it had not dented the workforce’s confidence.
“It’s higher to place your self in a troublesome place to be prepared for later. I feel we’re heading in the right direction,” mentioned the 20-year-old, who was named NBA Rookie of the 12 months.
The enormous 2.24m (7ft 4in) centre averaged 21.4 factors and 10.6 rebounds per recreation in his debut season. He also needs to give an additional dimension to a French workforce that misplaced the ultimate on the Covid-delayed Tokyo Video games to the USA.
“The power among the many employees and gamers is simply unimaginable,” mentioned Wembanyama. “There’s a want to do nicely that I’ve by no means seen a lot in different groups.
“The arrogance continues to be very excessive. We all know that the street gained’t all the time be easy, there shall be difficulties,” he added.