After two years, Victor Wembanyama rejoins the French national team! Eager for FIBA competition: "I don't miss the NBA right now."

It's been two years since Victor Wembanyama last suited up for the French men's basketball team. In his previous national team appearance, the San Antonio big man scored 26 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the 2024 Olympic gold medal game loss to the United States.

After 24 months, Wembanyama returns to the Paris region, ready to represent his country again—but his status has changed dramatically. He is no longer just a 20-year-old Rookie of the Year; now he is a 22-year-old All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year, and a serious MVP contender.

At a ceremony for the inauguration of a renovated basketball court in Nanterre, Wembanyama attended and admitted he feels fortunate to be part of it. Reflecting on returning to the place where he grew up and trained for eight years, he did not hide his excitement, and he extended that feeling to the whole of France.

"Every time I come back here, my heart feels at ease," Wembanyama said. After missing the 2025 EuroBasket, he is now looking forward to putting on the blue national team jersey again. Speaking to reporters, he stated bluntly: "Right now, I don't miss the NBA court, but I really miss FIBA international competition."

Wembanyama also mentioned that after a tough season in the United States (his team failed to win the NBA championship in mid-June), returning home has brought him great comfort.

"Crossing the Atlantic year after year, spending months overseas, it's not easy to maintain a connection with France day in and day out... But once I'm back here, everything becomes simple. I'm surrounded by familiar, trustworthy people. The people who accompanied me during my growth in Nanterre and my life in France have almost all been kind-hearted." said the Spurs player, who just signed a massive contract extension this summer.

Recently, Wembanyama was selected as the cover athlete for NBA 2K27 and also signed a long-term extension with Nike. However, the most important part of his trip to France is participating in the French national team training camp in August. The schedule is as follows: two friendly matches against Serbia (August 20-23), followed by two 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying games—against Slovenia (August 27) and away to Sweden (August 30).