Returning to the French capital five months after her silver medal at the Olympic Games, Victor Wembanyama put Paris and the Accor Arena at its feet. During the Spurs' big victory against the Pacers (140-110), the emotions were once again palpable.
From his words to the microphone of the room after a beautiful Marseillaise to motivate his fans before the interval, where he called on the Parisian squad to do “maximum noise” so that the Spurs “return to Paris in the years to follow” with his actions, each more impressive than the last, “Wemby” seduced his people.
« I don't know what Victor said [au public] before the match, but it worked »laughs Rick Carlisle, like a good loser, who recognizes, like many others, not having “never seen a player like him”. “France can be proud of him: he manages to do breathtaking things”.
Author of a full match (30 points on 13/21 shots, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks in 32 minutes), he alone managed to make people forget the sad Cavaliers – Nets disputed in Paris, the year last.
Between this “T-Mac” with the board, this dribble behind the back to unbalance Myles Turner or even these three blocks in a row in as many actions, the rookie of the year 2024 delighted his fans with “highlights”…
“The spectacular comes from itself”
But far beyond his acrobatics that the NBA and fans around the world have become accustomed to for more than a year and a half, his ability to overcome the pressure to impress. The Frenchman never showed an ounce of frustration, worry or discontent…
During this sweet Parisian night, the child from Chesnay seemed relaxed, serene and in control after coming out of a “match which [lui] held dear”crowned with a high-flying performance that he ranks ” In [son] Top 5 most successful matches [sa] NBA career in terms of pure performance ». “You should not try to do incredible things, the spectacular comes by itself”he poeticizes.
Words in perfect harmony with those of his trainer Mitch Johnson, who is acting as Gregg Popovich, victim of a “mild stroke” early November. “For someone with his technical qualities and his size, it must sometimes be difficult to stay on the fundamentals because he is capable of being so spectacular”thinks the former student of the prestigious Stanford University. “ But when he's only focused on the little details of a match, like tonight, it becomes absolutely spectacular. »
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For Chris Paul, Victor Wembanyama knew how to “stay himself”
Veteran Harrison Barnes, carefully dressed in a blue suit and black t-shirt, was convinced that his French teammate was going to have “a great match”.
“Because when he came, Victor wanted to play his music, French sound [des morceaux de rap de Kaaris et Booba] so I knew he was very excited about this meeting. » Just like Chris Paul, who has been trying to learn a few words of French since the start of the season, or the Georgian Sandro Mamukelashvili, who arrived wearing Thierry Henry's jersey from the 1998 World Cup.
If “Wemby” has not yet won a world title, he received “ a moving ovation » Who ” reflects the feelings of the city, of all of France”assures Mitch Johnson. Very dissuasive in defense, sharp in attack, the new star of the orange ball then left his feelings in the locker room to deliver « one of [ses] most complete matches this season”, applauds “CP3”. “Despite all the expectations around him, he could have lost his way, wanted to do too much but in reality, he remained himself and was just dominant on both ends of the pitch. »
Two hours after the end of the festivities at the Paris-Bercy sports center, the NBA announced the starters for the All-Star Game in San Francisco (February 16), but the Frenchman did not receive enough votes from the fans, media and players to invite themselves into the starting five. A replacement place, however, seems to be promised to him, thanks to his already very accomplished “sophomore” season and the almost balanced collective record of the Spurs (20 wins – 22 losses).
“It would be amazing but I don't really care »he admitted before the verdict. « What matters are collective results, individual rewards will follow. »
Photos: Thomas Savoja
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