Spurs Complete French Connection with Victor Wembanyama, Sidy Cissoko

Victor Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko are the newest members of the San Antonio Spurs, and they grew up 45 minutes from each other over 5,000 miles away in Parisian suburbs.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 23, 2023

Spurs Complete French Connection with Victor Wembanyama, Sidy Cissoko /

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs gained a few more fans in France when they took Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 pick, but they probably made those supporters even happier with the No. 44 selection, taking fellow Frenchman Sidy Cissoko.

Cissoko, 19, is from Saint-Maurice, a suburb of France, and about 45 minutes from where Wembanyama grew up in Le Chesnay.

Instead of staying in Europe for his final year before the NBA, Cissoko came stateside to play alongside Scoot Henderson and G League Ignite.

Wembanyama and Cissoko played against one another back in October during a two-game exhibition series in Las Vegas. While Wembanyama shined, Cissoko struggled, managing just nine points in the two games combined.

However, Cissoko's upside is more on the defensive end. At 6-8, Cissoko can defend multiple positions and is more advanced on that end of the floor. The reason why Cissoko wasn't taken higher in the draft is his lack of development on the offensive side. Luckily for the Spurs, he's only 19 years old and has plenty of time to work on that part of his game under a rebuilding San Antonio squad.

If Cissoko can improve his scoring abilities and prove to be capable of improving at the next level, the Spurs might have two French mainstays on their roster for years to come.

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Published Jun 23, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.