News about Victor Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama wowed NBA fans and players alike in his first season with the San Antonio Spurs, but the 20-year-old has countered that love by slamming some NBA players' 'work ethic' last year. Wembanyama did not specifically name which NBA stars disappointed him, while only pointing out a pair of the league's players who did live up to expectations. The Frenchman averaged 21.4 points and 10.6 rebounds last season, alongside an NBA-best 3.6 blocks per game.

Victor Wembanyama has revealed that Caitlin Clark is the only college basketball player who has ever left him 'in awe' of their game. The French phenom was selected first overall in the 2023 NBA draft, a year before the Indiana Fever took Clark with the No 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. It came after Clark enjoyed a historic career with the Iowa Hawkeyes which saw her become one of the biggest stars in sports.

NIK SIMON AT BERCY ARENA: He arrived wearing gold trainers and he left wearing a gold medal. LeBron James prowled and postured with grey hairs in his 39-year-old beard as he led the USA to Olympic victory. James pumped his chest and flexed his muscles, the alpha-spirit in this team, but it was his magnificent sidekick Steph Curry who scored 24 long-range points to end the night as the most valuable player in Paris. After two weeks of celebrating rock climbers and trampolinists who shine momentarily under the Olympic flame, this felt like a transition back to reality. The sporting superstars were back on the main stage.

France had the homecourt advantage and rising star Victor Wembanyama ; but the USA had Stephen Curry, and that was all that mattered in the dying stages of Saturday's gold medal match as Team USA won its fifth straight Olympic gold medal in men's basketball.   The USA held off France 98-87 behind 24 points from Curry, as a star-studded group including LeBron James and Kevin Durant thwarted away a late French rally. The Americans led by as much as 14 in the fourth quarter but saw that advantage dwindle to just three after a Victor Wembanyama tip-in with just under three minutes remaining. 

For the second consecutive Olympic Games - USA and France will meet in the men's basketball gold medal match. France booked their place in the final with an impressive 73-69 victory over Germany in their semi-final. Germany had previously beaten the hosts in the group stages - however - with a strong showing in the second and third quarters of their Paris 2024 rematch - in which they outscored Dennis Schroder and Co 38-25 - France managed to hold on for a famous victory in front of their fans.

After trailing by as much as 17 points, the United States of America men's basketball team put on an inspired late comeback to knock off Serbia and advance to the gold medal game with a 95-91 victory. Facing a 13 point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, the Americans came back to tie the contest and then took the lead with a dominant performance in the final period to pull out the victory. Steph Curry led the way for the United States with 34 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.

Social media is in raptures over a flurry of lesser-known handsome faces taking to the Olympic pools, gyms and tracks in Paris this week.  Their arrival has seen many develop a sudden, if not over-night passion for men's artistic gymnastics, while others have taken a keen interest in synchronized diving. Two pictures, bursting with masculinity, have left watchers particularly slack-jawed.

The 20-year-old stands at a staggering 7-foot-3, which has made him nearly impossible to guard in the NBA and now on the international stage. On Tuesday, the Frenchmen took on Japan in their second group game. During the competition, the head-scratching height difference between the San Antonio Spurs' franchise player and the opposition was on full display.

The USA men's basketball team are predictably short favourites with Sky Bet to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics - with Lebron James and Co currently priced at 1/6. While most fans and pundits expect them to go all the way - if the warm-up games are anything to go by - it would suggest the competition for gold is much more open than many previously thought. With that in mind, let's take a look at who are the best-backed nations behind USA to win gold in Paris. Canada currently sit as the second-favourites in the market at 10/1. They too have a star-studded squad, with All Stars Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander making up their backcourt, to go along with NBA mainstays Dillon Brooks, RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell and Trey Lyles in their frontcourt rotation. Meanwhile, for those anticipating twin towers Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama to deliver France their maiden men's basketball gold medal in history - they are joint third-favourites at 12/1.

One year after France's Victor Wembanyama went first overall to the San Antonio Spurs, two of his countrymen were picked atop the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday in Brooklyn. However, both 19-year-olds were left out of France's Olympics roster this summer, as Les Bleus aim to win gold on home soil against heavy favorites, USA.

If Victor Wembanyama kicked in the door last season, then it was surely walked through during Wednesday night's NBA Draft Make no mistake about it: there is a French revolution brewing in the world's premier basketball league. For the first time in league history, two French players were taken in the top five picks, as Zaccharie Risacher went first overall to the Hawks and Alexandre Sarr was taken immediately after by the Wizards.

Caleb Williams took a break from pre-season training with the Bears to jet to Paris with his girlfriend, Alina Thyregod. The couple attended the star-studded Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2025 show at UNESCO headquarters on Tuesday. The No 1 pick of the 2024 NFL draft, who was recently named Chicago's starting quarterback, stepped out in an army green shearling puffer jacket.

Walton, an NBA Hall of Fame center and legendary commentator, died at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer Monday.  Following the basketball icon's death over Memorial Day weekend, heartbroken fans flooded the comments section of his final Instagram post to mourn the sport's loss.  Walton had shared his last post on the social media platform 13 weeks before his death and hinted at his excitement over one of the NBA's greatest rising stars.

Victor Wembanyama's former club, Metropolitans 92, is reportedly set to fold following financial difficulties. The French phenom played one season for the club before being drafted No. 1 overall by the Spurs last June. And now, the Mets will reportedly 'disappear' as they decided not to re-enter the club for competition next season according to Le Parisien. 

It's hardly the same as last year, when the San Antonio Spurs secured the first-overall pick and the rights to 7-foot-4 sensation Victor Wembanyama, but the Atlanta Hawks won the NBA Draft Lottery on Sunday. The Hawks hit the jackpot despite just 3-percent odds after finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference at 36-46. They dropped their final six regular-season games and lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the play-in tournament. The Hawks haven't won a postseason series since a surprising run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2021. They got knocked out in the first round in 2022 and 2023.

Among the critics of Caitlin Clark's $28million Nike deal is former company executive Sonny Vaccaro, the man who once signed Michael Jordan to the apparel giant. 'She should have gotten a piece of everything,' the 84-year-old told TMZ, 'just like Michael Jordan.' Clark's eight-year deal has been criticized as insufficient for an athlete of her notoriety. The Indiana Fever rookie and former Iowa standout helped deliver record Nielsen ratings in back-to-back NCAA tournaments, not to mention the recent WNBA Draft.

For the second straight year, a Frenchman may go No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, as projected top pick Zaccharie Risacher has submitted his official paperwork to the league according to a new report. Risacher, 19, is a 6-foot-10 forward playing for JL Bourg in the French Pro A League. And with the draft roughly two months away, he told ESPN on Monday that he's declared for the event.

That's according to a disclaimer on Fanatics website, as it says that fans who want to pre-order Clark's WNBA jersey now, or in the near future, won't be receiving their items until the end of summer. The disclaimer says: 'We are currently sold out of our initially batch of this jersey - if you choose to place a pre-order today, our restock will be available to ship in August due to Nike's manufacturing times.' When clicking on 'pre-order' to buy the jersey, Fanatics' website discloses that the company will ship 'no later than Aug. 14.'

Caitlin Clark will earn just $76,535 in her first season in the WNBA as part of her rookie contract with the Indiana Fever. The 22-year-old sensation was, as expected, taken with the first pick in the WNBA draft in Brooklyn on Monday night. But the value of her rookie contract is way below the typical NBA deal that male college prospects sign.

Caitlin Clark appeared on Good Morning America on Tuesday and admitted she's had the 'weight of the world' on her shoulders in recent weeks after Iowa's NCAA Tournament campaign and the WNBA draft. The 22-year-old star was, as expected, chosen with the first pick in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever in Brooklyn on Monday.  Clark, who wore a white Prada jacket and skirt, arrives in the professional league as the most successful college player in history, which has made her the new star of the sport.

ALEX RASKIN AT THE WNBA DRAFT IN BROOKLYN - Caitlin Clark is officially a member of the Indiana Fever after being taken first overall by the struggling club in the WNBA Draft. The next challenge for the former Iowa sensation is helping a league that has struggled for years to shed its 'little sister' label. And the early signs are good. Interest in this year's WNBA Draft was so high, the league opened it up to fans for the first time since 2016 thanks to Clark, the all-time NCAA scoring leader. And back in Indianapolis, the Fever reported more than 17,000 attendees at their WNBA Draft party. Clark won't make her WNBA regular-season debut until May 14, but ticket prices on the secondary market have already soared over $500. Meanwhile, the defending-champion Las Vegas Aces have made plans to open up 7,000 more seats when the Fever come to town on May 25.

Following a San Antonio Spurs overtime victory, Rookie Victor Wembanyama's ferocious toss of the basketball into the stands earned him a $25,000 fine from the NBA, according to the league. In the Spurs' 130-126 victory over the visiting New York Knicks, Wembanyama had caught and cradled a pass, then he tossed the ball to fans on Friday. The league typically assigns a fine for throwing or kicking a ball into the stands.

On Saturday, the Phoenix Suns' franchise player was assigned to guarding the Spurs' franchise player. Bol was suspended for a foul during a Wembanyama drive to the basket in the second quarter, according to referees. When Bol's reaction was picked up by the broadcast, the Frenchman had made the layup and was headed to the free-throw line. "You'll d**krid bro,' he said while trembling his head. 'I get it.'

On Wednesday, the Chiefs tight end went viral on social media after discussing marriage on 'New Heights' podcast, which he co-hosts with his 36-year-old brother, who just returned from football. Travis said, referring to Wembanyama, a seven-ft-four star rookie on the San Antonio Spurs, you can't tell me that dude wasn't made in a f***ing lab over there in France.'