The 7-foot-4 No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 29.7 minutes per game in his rookie season for the San Antonio Spurs. His efforts earned him Rookie of the Year honors, a spot on the first team for the NBA All-Rookie team and a runner-up finish to fellow Frenchman Rudy Gobert as the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year.
Wembanyama, along with the four-time defensive player of the year in Gobert, now lead France into the 2024 Paris Olympics with a chance to make a deep run. France finished with the silver medal, behind the U.S., after the latter won 87-82 in the finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“I believe it’s the biggest competition for an athlete. But I’m going to approach it like everything else in my life: a sporting pleasure,” Wembanyama said.
Here's what you need to know about where Wembanyama is from and who his parents are as he makes his Olympic debut:
Where is Victor Wembanyama from?
Wembanyama was born on Jan. 4, 2004, in Le Chesnay, Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, France, a western suburb of Paris. When Wembanyama was 7 years old, he started training for a local basketball club, Entente Le Chesnay Versailles (ELCV). He initially played other sports before transitioning to basketball.
He began his professional career not in the NBA, but in France's LNBA Pro A, the top-tier basketball league in the country, where he earned his status as the unanimous No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft. He played first for Nanterre 92 from 2019 through 2021 before playing a season each for ASVEL and Metropolitans 92 in 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively.
There, Wembanyama earned myriad individual awards, including three-time Pro A Best Young Player (2021-23); two-time LNB All-Star selection (2021-22); 2022 LNB All-Star Game MVP; All-Pro A first team selection (2023); Pro A Best Defender (2023); Pro A Best Scorer (2023); Pro A MVP (2023); and French player of the year (2023). He also won the 2022 Pro A championship with ASVEL, though was injured at the time the team won it.
Wembanyama's father ― Felix ― is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was a track and field athlete who competed in the high, long and triple jumps. His mother, Élodie de Fautereau, is a 6-3 basketball coach and former player born and raised in France.
Wembanyama also has a sister, Ève Wembanyama, who in 2017 helped the French U-16 team win the FIBA-U16 Women's European Championship. He also has a younger brother, Oscar Wembanyama, who likewise plays basketball.
France basketball roster at 2024 Paris Olympics
Wembanyama and Gobert aren't the only NBA players on the French team, which is seeking its first gold medal finish in Olympic history. Here is the entire French basketball roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics:
Victor Wembanyama
Rudy Gobert
Killian Hayes
Bilal Coulibaly
Ousmane Dieng
Théo Maledon
Nicolas Batum
Evan Fournier
Nando de Colo
Frank Ntilikina
Andrew Albicy
Guerschon Yabusele
Isaia Cordinier
Mathias Lessort
Matthew Strazel
Victor Wembanyama stats
Here's a look at Wembanyama's stats from his impressive rookie season, which resulted in him winning the NBA Rookie of the Year honors and a runner-up finish for Defensive Player of the Year behind Gobert:
2023-24: 1,522 total points, 755 total rebounds, 274 total assists, 254 total blocks, 88 total steals and two triple-doubles; 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game on 46.5% shooting in 29.7 minutes per game.
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