'Wembamania' no more: The sad decline of Metropolitans 92

Through the 2022-23 season, Paris became the epicenter of basketball excitement as “Wembamania” swept across the city. 

Victor Wembanyama, the generational French talent destined to be the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, turned Metropolitans 92 into a must-see phenomenon.

Tickets for the team’s games sold out in minutes, and the Metropolitans capitalized on the demand by moving games to the 20,000-seat Accor Arena, a significant upgrade from their usual 4,000-seat venue. 

The club even ventured to the United States to face NBA G League Ignite in high-profile exhibition games, gaining international attention.

During the season, the Metropolitans achieved a 23-11 record, reaching the finals of France’s top tier. Wembanyama dazzled in his sole year with the team, averaging 20.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and three blocks over 44 games. 

His efforts earned him many awards and accolades, including league MVP, Best Scorer, Best Defender, Best Young Player and France’s Player of the Year. Yet, the season ended in heartbreak. Monaco defeated the Metropolitans in four games to claim their second consecutive league title. 

Wembanyama and teammate Bilal Coulibaly departed for the NBA soon after, with Wembanyama going first overall to the San Antonio Spurs and Coulibaly seventh to the Washington Wizards.

Their departures marked the beginning of a dramatic decline. Metropolitans 92 plummeted to the bottom of the standings the following season, finishing with a dismal 4-30 record. The club was relegated to the second-tier Pro B and seemed destined for a rebuild.

Financial troubles compounded their woes. The Boulogne-Billancourt municipality, which funded the team, withdrew its support and sought new investors. By May 2024, the club was declared bankrupt. 

Metropolitans 92 voluntarily dropped out of Pro B to stay afloat, demoting themselves to the third-tier Nationale Masculine 1 (NM1). Now rebranded as the Levallois Metropolitans Basketball Club, the team sits fourth in the NM1 standings with a 9-5 record — a shadow of their former glory. 

The once-mighty Metropolitans, the pride of French basketball during the Wembanyama era, have faced a sudden and humbling fall from grace. Meanwhile, a new basketball powerhouse has risen in Paris. 

Paris Basketball, another city team, has emerged, winning the 2024 EuroCup and debuting in the EuroLeague, Europe’s premier competition. Currently, the team leads the standings, riding an eight-game winning streak and defeating giants like Barcelona.

Over in the States, Wembanyama has thrived since arriving in San Antonio. Wemby won NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2023-24 season and was named to the All-Rookie and All-Defensive NBA teams. Coulibaly hasn't found as much success as his former teammate but has enjoyed a breakout start to the 2024-25 campaign with the rebuilding Wizards.

The contrast is stark. While Paris Basketball ascends on the domestic and European stages and two of its former stars flourish with their new teams, the Metropolitans linger in the shadows, and their “Wembamania” days are a distant memory.