NBA's Wembanyama returns home for Olympics; Murray retiring from tennis after Paris

PARIS — Sports often are a secondary attraction in Paris, with athletes having a difficult time standing out in a cultural sphere driven largely by food, fashion and the arts.

Victor Wembanyama may use the Paris Olympics to be the first homegrown sports star to dismantle that dynamic.

The 7-foot-4 French-born phenom made San Antonio Spurs NBA games appointment viewing as a rookie in the league this past season, boosting his already swelling global brand. Now the 20-year-old is returning home for the Paris Games as by far the biggest name in his country’s Olympic delegation.

Wembanyama literally will be a center of attention this month, and not just because of what he can do on the court, but because he’s become a central figure with the charisma to draw in both ardent sports fans and casual French citizens alike.

“I tend to underestimate the fan enthusiasm for me. I don’t pay more attention to it than that,” Wembanyama said recently. “But when I returned to France a few weeks ago for the first time, I felt the enthusiasm of the public that was different from before.”

The arrival of “Wemby” in the NBA, the world’ most premier basketball league, had been anticipated for years as his reputation and skill set stood out while he came up through the ranks of French basketball.

It was not unlike the rise of 25-year-old French soccer star Kylian Mbappé, who at just 18 helped lead France to a World Cup title in 2018 and another World Cup final in 2022 while simultaneously taking his place as one of club soccer’s top players.

But after month’s announcements that Mbappé had officially left local Paris Saint-Germain to join La Liga power Real Madrid, followed by news that he won’t be competing for the host country in the Olympics , it’s put even more focus on Wembanyama, who said he’s always held the Olympic stage in high regard.

“I have been preparing for them since the first time I saw the Olympics on TV,” Wembanyama said. “It was always a dream and then as we grew up it became a goal. It’s definitely something that’s really unique in sport. I think it’s the most important sporting event in the world.”

Men's tennis

Two-time Olympic men’s singles champion Andy Murray said he will end his career next week at the Paris Games.

The 37-year-old Murray wrote on X that he “arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament.” Tennis at the Paris Olympics starts Saturday on the clay courts at Roland Garros.

The 37-year-old won his gold medals at Wimbledon during the 2012 London Olympics and retained this title in Rio de Janeiro four years later.

Murray says competing for Britain was “by far the most memorable weeks of my career.”

Murray had hip replacement surgery in 2019 and several subsequent injuries.

Men's tennis

Two-time Olympic men’s singles champion Andy Murray confirmed Tuesday he will end his career next week at the Paris Games.

“Arrived in Paris for my last ever tennis tournament,” the 37-year-old Murray posted on the X social media platform.

Tennis at the Paris Olympics starts Saturday on the clay courts at Roland Garros.

Murray won his first gold medal on grass at Wimbledon at the 2012 London Olympics — beating Roger Federer in three straight seats — and retained his title in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, beating Juan Martin del Potro on hard courts.

"Competing for (Britain) have been by far the most memorable weeks of my career and I’m extremely proud to get do it one final time!” Murray said Tuesday.

Murray had hip replacement surgery in 2019 and several subsequent injuries. He withdrew from singles at Wimbledon this month after a procedure to remove a cyst from his spine.

Women's soccer

Rather than wallowing in the disappointment of being skipped for the U.S. Women's World Cup squad, midfielder Sam Coffey was determined to become an Olympian.

Now she's among the newcomers on a team in transition.

Coffey sees parallels between her path and the team's. The Paris Games are a chance for redemption after heartbreak — Coffey for being passed over, and the United States for crashing out of the last year's World Cup earlier than ever.

“I think we're turning a page,” she said. “Like I've talked about on my own journey, the hard things that I've gone through are some of the most important moments of my career. I think it's the same for the team. We're taking hard lessons and hard experiences and turning them into resilience, turning them into strength, turning them into growth. And I think that's ultimately what makes champions and championship teams.”

Men's soccer

Chelsea can wait. Caleb Wiley's priority over the next two and half weeks is to get his hands on a medal at the Paris Olympics.

The United States defender has already secured a move to the Premier League with Chelsea — now he has his eyes fixed on another prize.

“A medal. That's what we're going to fight for,” Wiley told AP. “And I have full belief that we’re going to do it.”

The U.S. men’s national team plays at the Olympics for the first time since 2008 when it takes on host nation France, one of the tournament favorites, in Marseille on Wednesday.

The 19-year-old Wiley is likely to be the subject of increased interest from Chelsea fans, at least, after he completed his move to the two-time Champions League winner from Atlanta United on Monday in a deal worth a reported $11 million.

Women's basketball

A’ja Wilson had 19 points and 14 rebounds to help the U.S. women’s Olympic team rebound from a rare exhibition loss to beat Germany 84-57 on Tuesday night.

The Americans lost to a team of WNBA All-Stars on Saturday before traveling over to London for the exhibition contest against Germany. These two teams are in the same pool in the Olympics and will play again in the Paris Games on Aug. 4.

The U.S. raced out to a 22-9 lead, scoring the first seven points of the game. By the end of the first 10 minutes, the Americans had built that 13-point lead.

The Americans led by 12 at the half and scored the first seven points of the third quarter. Germany never threatened in the second half.