With France as the host, the best French athletes are expected to keep their national pride at the Paris Olympics 2024. Victor Wembanyama fits that description. Additionally, his teammates on the men’s basketball team are decent to good stars in the NBA. However, they were embarrassed by their cross-border neighbor Germany yesterday, which brought out some choice words from fans.
Germany has no true 7-footer with a massive wingspan on their roster. Therefore, defending against the likes of Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert and the faster French guards would have given them problems. It did, as the Wagner brothers, Franz and Moritz, both hit foul trouble. But even then, the French team could not stop the Germans from dominating the first three quarters. They looked hapless as their neighbors eventually won the game 85-71 at their Olympics.
Suddenly, France, who were close to topping the overall table before yesterday’s game, have slipped to 4th. This means they will likely play one of the 2nd place teams from the other groups in the knockout stage. This could end up being disastrous for the home team if they face a spirited opponent. That said, fans were irked with how they lost.
In one sequence, Franz Wagner adjusted to avoid a block from Victor Wembanyama and dunked to send the arena into a rapturous roar. It was plays like this and some efficient scoring from fellow NBA star Dennis Schroder that stopped France from getting anything out of a rally in the fourth quarter.
Fans expected more from Victor Wembanyama and France
Fans feel the Frenchmen should not have let the game come to this. Their talent and athleticism were way beyond what Germany has. Even then, they could not get around the FIBA World Cup-winning team playing with great chemistry. Fans feel the French should have lost the game against Japan had some controversial decisions not gone their way. Therefore, it has put them in a bad light.
Basketball fans expecting more took to social media to call out the French for embarrassing themselves on their home court. Check out some of those reactions below;
I knew it! Rudy is a certified choker… nvm he hasn’t done anything good in order to choke
— Wuju Highlander (@Wuju_Highland3r) August 2, 2024
That’s a slap in the face lol
Dude just exposed Wemby and us ball players gone take advantage of it lol
— KicksandCigars.swoosh (@iamcrowne) August 2, 2024
These france team can’t even beat japan if the refs didn’t helped them. Overrated!
— iconoclast (@theIconichooper) August 2, 2024
France is not that good. Too soft.
— DOUG 2.0 (@Doug24Seven) August 2, 2024
France Stinks. They are basically just the Spurs but add loser Rudy Gobert.
— Jeremy Kamali (@jeremykamali) August 2, 2024
France got lucky against Japan too that’s wild
— Notary blaine (@blaine_notary) August 2, 2024
Easily too. France had no answer for Franz and Dennis.
— Will A. (@willarchambault) August 2, 2024
Rudy Gobert also caught flak from fans for his performance. If this is the state of play from the Les Blues, it will be a tall task to go up against the likes of Canada, let alone Team USA. Victor Wembanyama once wanted to beat the Americans and win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, they looked nothing like a gold medal-winning team yesterday.
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