Victor Wembanyama Makes Bold Statement About France Taking Over Future NBA Drafts

The Spurs star thinks France could dominate the NBA draft for years to come.

Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

To little surprise, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was one of the first to celebrate after seeing several of his fellow Frenchmen come off the board in the first round of the NBA draft on Wednesday night.

A year after Wembanyama went first overall, French forward Zaccharie Risacher was taken by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 1 pick, marking the first time two players from the same country outside of North America have been selected first in back-to-back drafts. 

It may not be the last time.

Wembanyama recently spoke out about France basketball’s young and developing talent and said he believes his country will continue to dominate the NBA draft in the future.

“If we’ve done it twice in a row, it means we can do it a third and why not a fourth time,” Wembanyama said, via Eurohoops.net.

Last year, Wembanayama became the first international player to be selected with the No. 1 pick since 2006. The NBA draft landscape appears to be trending French, so to speak, as this year saw a record four French players get taken in the first round, including Risacher. Alex Sarr was picked 2nd by the Washington Wizards, Tidjane Salaun was picked 6th by the Charlotte Hornets and Pacone Dadiet was picked 25th by the New York Knicks.

If France are looking to produce a third consecutive No. 1 selection in the NBA draft, the country’s best bet may lie on the shoulders of Nolan Traore, a projected top-five pick in the 2025 class. Earlier this month, the 17-year-old Traore was recruited by Duke, Gonzaga and a slew of other college basketball powerhouses before choosing to stay in his home country and play for Saint-Quentin in the French first division.