Frenchman Victor Wembanyama comes down after shooting the ball as Japan’s Hirotaka Yoshii defends it during a men’s basketball match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France.
11:30 JST, July 31, 2024
VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — The first three minutes were easy for Victor Wembanyama on Tuesday. And the last five minutes, too.
Everything else was a drag.
Wembanyama clutched his lower right leg after a quick trip off the court late in the first quarter, then clutched his left hip a few times later in the game, and appeared to struggle at times in France’s second game of the Paris Olympics. He finished with 18 points — he got a three-point play that gave his team a lead 26 seconds into overtime — and France ultimately held off a serious upset of Japan, winning 94-90.
“The realization, the dynamic of the game,” Wembanyama said when asked what changed in overtime. “They were playing like underdogs and we were expecting them to hit a little too much. I wanted to make a point and hit first in overtime. And it worked.”
And what seemed to bother him physically?
“Not the hip,” Wembanyama said. “Other places, but not the hip.”
At extra time the score was tied at 84, after Wembanyama had not amounted to much in the last 3.5 quarters of regular playing time.
In extra time it was the Wemby feeling.
He had eight points in the first 4:26. No one else scored a single point in that period — not France, not Japan — and he made sure the home team would escape.
“Championship maturity. Championship mentality,” said France coach Vincent Collet. “He wasn’t good in the second half, but he didn’t lose confidence. And he made the difficult plays.”
Wembanyama got help, most notably Matthew Strazel’s four-point play to tie the score for France with 10.2 seconds left in regulation time — “the chance of a lifetime,” Wembanyama said — and Japan star Rui Hachimura, who had 24 points, was ejected early in the fourth quarter for his second unsportsmanlike foul of the game.
Above: Frenchman Victor Wembanyama (center) shoots as Japan’s Rui Hachimura (right) defends during a men’s basketball game during the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France.
Below: Japan’s Yuki Kawamura, left, and France’s Victor Wembanyama try to grab a loose ball
Hachimura’s teammates persevered and nearly pulled off a surprise.
“We lost Rui, but we never gave up,” said 5-foot-11 Japanese guard Yuri Kawamura, who led all scorers with 29 points. “That’s it.”
It looked like it was going to be a dominant Wembanyama night early on. Hachimura didn’t even bother jumping for the opening tipoff; he simply conceded to Wembanyama, who had eight points in the first 3:20.
But from that point on, strangely enough, he became silent – until the OT, that is.
“He’s an extremely talented player, No. 1 draft pick, one of the tallest players in the world, he’s extremely skilled,” said Japan center Josh Hawkinson, who spent much of his day defending Wembanyama. “He’s still 20 years old. Our game plan is to try and be a little bit physical with him. Obviously, as he matures and grows, he’ll really grow into his body and be able to use his body extremely well.”
Wembanayma saved his best for the end, also finishing with 11 rebounds and six assists. And France survived.
“I don’t know why he has to prove more,” said France forward Bilal Coulibaly. “He was himself, a great team-mate, a great player. Proud of him.”
