Victor Wembanyama concluded his participation in the August qualifying window for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in style. The Spurs superstar showed off his offensive versatility on his way to 18 points on just seven shots, to go with eight rebounds, two assists, a steal, and three blocks, as France pulled away late in the fourth after a competitive game against Sweden.
At this point in his career,
it’s hard to be surprised by Wembanyama’s immense talent, but the highlights of his performance are special. Wemby can be seen operating from the post, diving on the pick-and-roll, driving in traffic, passing, blocking shots inside and on the perimeter, hitting a jumper, and even dunking from behind the backboard. It’s one of those videos that reminds people that he can do so much already and is only getting better.
France needed this type of game from Wembanyama, as Sweden proved to be a tough opponent. The home team, led by the Heat’s Pelle Larsson, actually led 65-64 with just over five minutes left to play before France went on a big run to close it out, winning 84-69. Wemby checked in with 3:52 to go and hit a three and two free throws to help with the final effort after battling it out with an opponent that tried to be physical with him but still couldn’t contain him.
The win in Sweden concludes this window for France, which also beat Slovenia in Paris earlier in the week to secure a 7-1 record that has them at the top of their group. There will be two more qualifying windows to be played in December and March, but Victor is not expected to participate, as he’ll be in the middle of the NBA season.
Training camp is not far off, so seeing Wemby display his immense talent even against lesser competition than he’ll face while wearing Silver and Black is a great sight and an encouraging sign for what’s to come, as the Spurs prepare to attempt to make another deep playoff run in 2026/27. The Alien seems ready.
