How Did Spurs and 76ers Highlight French Basketball?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Dec 24, 2024 11:32 AM ET

On Monday night, the San Antonio Spurs lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, 111-106. The Spurs were led by Victor Wembanyama's 26 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and eight blocks, further cementing his claim as the best French basketball player in the world.

After Joel Embiid was ejected from the game in the second quarter, the Sixers relied on forward Guerschon Yabusele, who played alongside Wembanyama in France's silver medal bid at the Paris Olympics.

Yabusele finished with 17 points and four rebounds in 31 minutes and had a few highlight dunks in the game. He played string defense and was a big reason why the 76ers were able to eke out a win.

Yabusele and Wembanyama, along with established veterans like Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum, have ushered in an era of French basketball that is absolutely dominating. The two top picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr, both hail from France, and young talents like Bilal Coulibaly and Tidjane Salaun are showing promise.

Even the 2025 NBA Draft will have its fair share of French talents, with Noa Essengue headlining them. Yabusele did not enter the NBA with all the fanfare enjoyed by Wembanyama, but he is averaging 9.1 points off the bench this season.

From Tony Parker and Boris Diaw to Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko, the Spurs have long enjoyed the success of French players. The rest of the NBA is finally starting to catch up, and in international competitions, France is the favorite to rival the United States moving forward.

Check out the Inside the Spurs homepage for more news, analysis, and must-read articles.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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