Former Gonzaga guard Joel Ayayi will play in first World Cup with France
Joel Ayayi has played the role of the next man up before. After redshirting as a 17-year-old freshman and coming off the bench sparingly as a sophomore, the French guard became Gonzaga's best playmaker in 2019-20 after he earned a spot in the starting lineup during his junior season before going on to be an All-WCC first-team guard.
Now, Ayayi has a chance to step up for the French national team at the FIBA 2023 World Cup that tips off Friday in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. An injury to French stalwart and New York Knicks guard Evan Fournier opened up a roster spot for Ayayi, who will be making his senior team debut at the World Cup after years of competing on the youth squads.
France, ranked No. 5 in the FIBA power rankings, took home the silver medal in the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo after falling short against Team USA in the gold medal game. This year's FIBA squad won't have the services of NBA talents Frank Ntilikina or Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, but defensive-minded Rudy Gobert and do-it-all guard Nando De Colo are two big returners for French national team head coach Vincent Collet. Nicolas Batum and Guerschon Yabusele are also back for another run at the Olympics.
France opens Group H play against Canada on Friday, pitting two former Gonzaga standouts against one another when Kelly Olynyk represents the Canadian national team at the World Cup for the second time in his career. Then it's on to No. 29 Latvia on Sunday before closing out group play against No. 43 Lebanon on Aug. 29.
From there, Ayayi and France would most likely have to get through Spain, the reigning World Cup champions, as early as the knockout stage should both countries advance past the group stage. The No. 1 ranked team in the world features eight players at various positions with NBA experience including guard Rudy Fernandez, athletic forward Osman Garuda and the Hernangomez brothers. It's a slightly less experienced squad that won it all in 2019 but is still as talented as ever.
While France took third place at the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China, Ayayi represented the French youth team at the U19 World Cup. He led the squad to a second-place finish and scored 20.9 points per game, third-most in the tournament, and grabbed 5.6 rebounds to go with 3.4 assists per game. He dropped 33 points, including a clutch 3-pointer and a pair of free throws, in France's 73-68 win over Lithuania to close out the tournament.
Ayayi, who has also competed in the FIBA U18 and U16 European Championships, steps onto the World Cup stage after signing with Nanterre 92 of France’s Pro A league this summer. Since going undrafted in 2021, the 6-foot-4 guard has bounced around the NBA and G-league, including stops with the Lakers, Wizards and Magic.
Ayayi was waived by the Magic two weeks after agreeing to a contract in September 2022. His NBA hopes were revived momentarily when the Memphis Grizzlies added him to their 2023 Summer League roster, though it was a short-lived experience as he averaged 4.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists in six appearances.
Though he struggled to find a home in the NBA, Ayayi's combination of size and skillset makes him a serviceable do-it-all guard who can score, rebound and defend at the international level, much like his teammate and FIBA veteran De Colo. It's a brand of basketball that can serve France well, though it remains to be seen how Ayayi's inexperience will serve him on the big stage. Still, France has high expectations heading into the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
