On Nov. 13 the Spurs basketball team held an event called “French Heritage Night,” which aimed to celebrate the long history of the NBA’s relationship with French basketball players. The San Antonio Spurs played against the Washington Wizards; both teams had players of French descent. Playing for the Spurs, the 2023 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and Sidy Cissoko were both drafted into the NBA in 2023 from France. Representing the Washington Wizards, Bilal Coulibaly and Alexandre Sarr set the tone for the night in the starting lineup. Both teams showed up with passion on the court providing an entertaining game on both sides for everyone watching to enjoy.
UTSA French club and ROTC attended French Heritage Night to witness the Wembanyama in action. The 20-year-old rookie became the fourth-youngest player to score 50 points following Brandon Jennings, LeBron James and Devin Booker. These 50 points led the Spurs to victory against the Wizards, defeating them 139-130. According to the Spurs culture account on X, Wembanyama had the “fastest” 50+ point game in history within a single night which only took Wembanyama 26 minutes to achieve this astonishing record.
A personal reporter of Wembanyama, Théo Quinttard, originally met the player when they were both young. Quinttard and Wembayama met when they were 18 and 14 in a small town in Montaigu-Vendée, France. He had attended the last basketball game Wembanyama played in France right before he was drafted into the NBA. The French journalist knew this was going to be something special as soon as he landed in San Antonio to witness the NBA draft picks. Quinttard mentions that “one of the greatest moments for [him] was witnessing the welcoming crowd of 300 people in the middle of a hot Texas day ready to embrace Wembanyama into the city that is home to the Spurs.” He also made sure to mention that, “Tony Parker and Boris Diaw definitely lead the way but it is still amazing to see Wembanyama carry on the tradition.”
Before the 7-foot-3 phenom, there was Tony Parker, Nando de Colo, Boris Diaw and many more who paved the way for him. Reflecting back on the long history of the Spurs and French culture, the Vice President of the NBA Experiences, Evan Bruno, emphasized that the opportunity to have this relationship with foreign players has been an “exciting opportunity to grow the game.”
San Antonio can expect to continue to witness history in the making while the French native Wembanyama continues to play for the Spurs.
