Spurs face delicate Olympics issue with Victor Wembanyama

From Wembanyama’s perspective, there is a tremendous amount of pride that comes from representing one's country in international competition. 

NBA players such as Raptors guard Dennis Schröder (Germany), Pelicans center Jonas Valančiūnas (Lithuania) and Mavericks guard Luka Dončić (Slovenia) jumped at the opportunity to play for their home country in the recent FIBA World Cup.

The Olympics, of course, are much more prestigious than the World Cup.

For the Spurs, they will need to approach this situation delicately because it’s in their best interest to ensure Wembanyama doesn’t overexert his 7-foot-3, 225-pound frame playing basketball following a  grueling 82-game NBA regular season. 

On the other hand, the team runs the risk of alienating its rising star if it restricts him in any way from competing in an Olympics in his home country.

In recent years, the French national team has played well in international competition, falling to the United States in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal game and finishing runner-up at the 2022 Eurobasket tournament. 

Despite this success, the team had a disappointing finish in the World Cup, losing in the group stage with a team featuring NBA talents Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum.

"The World Cup was very disappointing," Wembanyama added, "But I have no judgment to make as I wasn't there." 

With stories circulating that France is recruiting reigning MVP Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers to suit up, Wembanyama may have a sense of urgency. He may feel that the team is closing the gap to the United States and has a good chance to compete for the gold medal in front of its countrymen.