Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Which Unlikley Rival Will Wembanyama Face on 76ers?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jonah Kubicek | Last updated Dec 23, 2024 5:19 PM ET

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Victor Wembanyama was easily the best player on the French National Team and was perhaps the best player in the entire tournament. It took a vintage Stephen Curry performance in the fourth quarter of the gold medal game to shut down Wemby's Olympic coming out party, and the young star had to settle for a silver medal.

Wembanyama was slightly overshadowed, however, by the breakout of "The Dancing Bear" Guerschon Yabusele. He spent two seasons from 2017-19 playing garbage time minutes with the Boston Celtics before taking his talents abroad to the French, Chinese, Spanish, and Euro Leagues where his physicality allowed him to break out.

After a successful Olympic run, he returned to the NBA, signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.

In the wake of injuries this season to Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers have relied on Yabusele more than they initially expected. In 26 games, he has earned ten starts and is averaging 9.1 points and 5.2 rebounds while playing solid defense and shooting the ball well, making 36.8 percent of his 3-point shots.

His journey from being the last man off the bench for the Celtics, back to Europe, winning a silver medal and coming back to the USA, and finding immediate success was unexpected, to say the least. On Monday, his Sixers will take on the San Antonio Spurs, giving him his first matchup NBA matchup against his famous countryman.

While Wembanayama has publically concerned himself with stopping Joel Embiid, a jersey swap moment between the two Frenchmen will be a sweet moment after the game.

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.

More must-reads: