The best French player in history and his possible successor, in the annals, in the France team and the San Antonio Spurs will meet again Friday at the Astroballe on the occasion of the third round of the semi-final of Elite between the Metropolitans 92 and Asvel (2-0 for the Ile-de-France).

A year earlier to a day, the N.1 of the NBA draft on June 22 (except huge surprise) played his last game with Villeurbanne, in the semifinals against Dijon: injured during the game, he attended in the stands the third consecutive championship title of Asvel.

Less than a week later "Wemby" (19 years old, 2.21 m) activated his release clause and turned his back on the Euroleague, only a year after his arrival from Nanterre, his training club.

To join his Paris region of origin (he was born in Le Chesnay, in the Yvelines), the coach of the France team Vincent Collet and a project centered around him, the most likely according to him to prepare him for the 2023 draft.

Parker bitter

"The Metropolitans offered me a pleasant, protective environment, where I can be totally focused on basketball and my development. It is the choice of a certain security and insurance before the big jump" in the United States, he justified on September 20 in front of the press.

Metropolitans 92 player Victor Wembanyama (right) and Ile-de-France coach Vincent Collet during the match against Bourg-en-Bresse in Paris on May 7, 2023 © FRANCK FIFE / AFP

About Collet, he said: "Everyone knows that he is surely the greatest French coach, so he is someone in whom I have 100% confidence in basketball, tactics, and someone ambitious who respects my project, with whom I feel like spending a serene year before the draft."

Finished the sessions under the orders of TJ Parker, coach of Asvel and brother of Tony.

The latter regretted the choice of Wembanyama at the end of June 2022 in the columns of L'Equipe: "He has a really good attitude and it's a shame that he did not give us the opportunity to continue. We started on a two-year project, and next season we were going to do everything for him."

Nine months later, in an interview with Le Progrès in early April 2023, the words of "TP" were more tinged with bitterness: "I do not know if he has really progressed this season and if he really enjoys playing only one game a week" since the Mets did not play any European competition this season.

"Difficult to give him a role"

Invited a few weeks later by the media First Team to comment on the statements of the boss of Asvel, where his brother Oscar plays (in the under-18 category) Wembanyama replied, a little embarrassed: "Tony, I know him, there is no animosity between us... The media sometimes distorts a little... He knows I've improved, in the numbers and I have a bigger role in a high-ranked team."

"One match a week, yes, but with much more responsibility, (so) the impact (on his progress) is almost the same," continued Wembanyama, who came to "look for responsibilities" in the Hauts-de-Seine.

He found them, leader of a team where competition and obligations of results are less than in Villeurbanne.

"Wemby" almost doubled his playing time (32 minutes on average this season) and was voted MVP of the championship after finishing top scorer (21.6 pts on average per game compared to 4.8 last season), rebounder (10.4 vs. 3.2) and blocker (3).

He also had no injuries, unlike the previous year.

"I don't think he did three consecutive months in the season. So it was difficult to give him a role," TJ Parker squeaked about it in September.

© 2023 AFP