The Olympics are stressing Victor Wembanyama, but he’s ready for the challenge

Most of the time, star San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama finds that things which are quite hard for his peers in the NBA tend to come easier for him by virtue of his otherworldly physique. But in his early moments prepping for and playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, something new has been happening to the French phenom.

“I think for the first time of his career, he was a little bit stressed,” said ( via the Athletic’s Sam Amick) Vincent Collet, head coach of the French National Team of the beginning of Wemby’s Olympic experience to date. “This week, I would say three days before the game, I felt he was a little bit stressed.”

“So we talked together and everybody around, (his) teammates, (the) rest of the staff, and we tried to help him,” he added. “And I think he’s so mature, day by day he got better with that, and he just wanted to start.”

“He was a … bit nervous. In France, everybody waits for him — I don’t know which word to use, but everybody waits for him,” said Collet. “You have the people who know basketball, and they understand he’s only 20 years old.”

“But people that like sports but (who) don’t know basketball, they think Victor is already Michael Jordan. (But that will) take time,” he noted, then shifted gears.

“Ah, he’s not far,” he added with a grin.

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