PARIS — Powered by an electrifying home crowd, Victor Wembanyama and France advanced to the gold medal game at the second consecutive Olympics after beating Germany 73-69 in the first of two semifinals on Thursday.
France was led by Guerschon Yabusele with 17 points, while Isaia Cordinier contributed 16 points. More important than the two free throws seven seconds before the end that secured the victory were the two
The silver medalists from the Games in Tokyo, France, now await the winner of Teams USA and Serbia, who face each other in the second semifinal on Thursday.
After the match, the neckline of Wembanyama’s jersey was stained with blood, which was the result of a fresh cut on the left side of his neck. He sweated profusely during the match and had to hold back his tears when it was all over.
Blood, sweat and tears. How fitting.
“In our national anthem, we talk about blood,” Wembanyama said. “We are ready to shed blood on the pitch, so it’s not a big deal. If it enables us to win gold, I’ll offer it. Take it all.”
Wembanyama – already NBA Rookie of the Year and number 1 in the draft – now has a new distinction: an Olympic medal. The only question is whether it will be gold or silver, which will be decided on Saturday evening. At the Olympic Games in Tokyo three years ago, the French lost in the final to the USA.
Wembanyama was just a kid then, a 17-year-old just emerging as an NBA talent. Today he’s a bigger kid, a 7-foot-4 20-year-old who’s already a national hero – not to mention one in San Antonio, where he’s tasked with leading the Spurs back to glory.
“Of course it is part of a dream come true,” said Wembanyama. “We can be part of a goal we set months ago. We can even make history. A once in a lifetime dream.”
His final numbers on Thursday, in front of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and team president RC Buford: 11 points, seven rebounds on just 4 of 17 shooting. The numbers didn’t look great, but his impact went far beyond what was on the stat sheet.
In the middle of the third quarter, German guard Dennis Schröder overtook Wembanyama on his way to the basket. At this point, Wembanyama only had to turn around, stretch out his right arm and prevent Schröder’s shot from going off course.
In the fourth period, he caught Schröder again – this time blocking a three-point attempt. That led to a three-pointer from Frenchman Frank Ntilikina at the other end, the home team took a 10-point lead and Wembanyama clenched his fist in celebration. As Germany caught up late, Wembanyama made an incredible jump pass through the zone on the expiring shot, setting up Yabuschele for two free throws that extended the lead back to 69-60 with 4:00 minutes left.
Wembanyama’s free throw with 10.9 seconds left put the team up 71-68, Germany never got another chance to tie or take the lead, and that was it. France celebrated wildly afterward, and for good reason.
“The fans made it difficult for me not to cry,” Wembanyama said. “I thank them.”
The French are only the third team to compete for Olympic gold in men’s basketball on home soil, after the United States did so in 1984 in Los Angeles and 1996 in Atlanta, winning both times.
The USA (gold medalists in 1984 and 1996) and the Soviet Union in Moscow 1980 (bronze) have so far been the only teams to win a medal of any color in domestic men’s basketball. France will join that list on Saturday with a gold or silver medal.
In recent times, most Olympic hosts have not come close to a medal: Japan finished 11th in Tokyo three years ago, Brazil finished ninth in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Britain ninth in London in 2012, China eighth in Beijing in 2008, Spain ninth in Barcelona in 1992 and South Korea ninth in Seoul in 1988. (Exceptions in those years were the United States’ victory in 1996, Australia’s fourth-place finish in Sydney in 2000 and Greece’s fifth-place finish in Athens in 2004.)
Of course, Wembanyama was missing from these teams, who now has a chance to win gold.
“This jersey brings us a different energy that we can’t find anywhere else,” he said. “It’s something we all feel as patriots. We love our jersey. We love our country.”
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
