Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Noa Essengue stands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected as the 12th pick by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Brad Penner-Imagn Images

17-Year NBA Veteran Reacts To French Selections In 2025 NBA Draft

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Will Despart | Last updated Jun 25, 2025 11:45 PM ET

Before Victor Wembanyama, Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas Batum was perhaps the player most synonymous with French basketball. The 2025 NBA Draft saw three more French prospects drafted in the first round, and of course, Batum was the first to congratulate them.

Noa Essengue was selected 12th overall by the Chicago Bulls, while Joan Beringer went 17th overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Nolan Traore went 19th overall to the Brooklyn Nets. This marked the third consecutive draft in which at least two French players were selected in the first round.

Another good Draft night so far!
Happy for Noa, Joan and Nolan
Great picks for their franchises
— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) June 26, 2025

"Another good Draft night so far! Happy for Noa, Joan and Nolan Great picks for their franchises," Batum wrote on X.

Victor Wembanyama's rise as a generational prospect began the NBA's French prospect Revolution, as the exposure from Wembanyama's scouting also resulted in his Metropolitans 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly going eighth overall to the Washington Wizards. In 2024, three of the first five picks in the draft were French, including Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr at No. 1 and No. 2 overall.

Nolan Noa

'French touch' #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/oCeskBRKt1
— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) June 26, 2025

Nolan Traore and Joan Beringer both played for the French national team at the 2023 U18 FIBA European Championship, while Noa Essnegue competed for the French U18 team a year later at the 2024 FIBA European Championship. Traore is the only one who played domestically in France this past season, as Essengue and Beringer played in Germany and Slovenia, respectively.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Clippers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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