Paris – Adieu France, Hello America.
They were a farewell hug — not a joy — for Victor Wimpanyama as he bid farewell to his teammates and the French League, before embarking on what many expect to be a glittering NBA career.
Wimpanyama’s performance — 22 points, seven rebounds and four blocks — didn’t stop Boulogne-Levallois from losing 92-85 to Monaco in the must-win third game of the best-of-five French league series on Thursday.
To accommodate the growing interest in seeing the 19-year-old French prodigy, Game 3 – and 4 if they win – has been shifted from a 4,000-seat venue to Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros, home of the 14,000-plus capacity French Open.
Fans sang “Merci, Wemby” while the hugely popular band Wembanyama waved and applauded them.
“I’m sorry for the fans who love to watch the show,” Wimpanyama said on beIN Sports TV after the match. “Of course I am proud of what I was able to do with my coach (Vincent Collett), in getting the team to the finals. But I am not satisfied.”
next week , San Antonio Spurs The 7-foot-3 Wimpanyama is expected to make the #1 pick in the NBA Draft as he follows in the footsteps of France star Tony Parker, David Robinson and Tim Duncan into the Hall of Famers.
With Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadev in the crowd — presumably with an eye on fellow Wimpanyama pre-draft Bilal Coulibaly — the Mets opened up a huge lead but with 50 seconds left, the score was tied at 85-85. Former NBA player with the Toronto Raptors, Jordan Lloyd sank two three-pointers to end Wimpanyama’s hopes of signing the French crown.
Wimbanyama is “amazing” but “I’m also excited about Bilal. He’s young, he has a lot of skills, so French basketball is in good shape,” Ranadev told beIN Sport.
Wimbanyama, who opened the scoring with a counter kick, looked sad as he hugged his team mates while Monaco celebrated.
“Wimbe had a great game, but this team is unbelievable,” said Lloyd, who finished with 22 points.
It was all pointing to a special night for Wembanyama and then Game 4 on Saturday. Wimbanyama clenched his fist when an infield pass made it 24-10 for Devante Jones, then roared as he used his giant tire to block a shot early in the second quarter.
The “Wimpy, Wimpy” chants got even louder when he nailed a 3-pointer to make it 47-37, and even louder when he made an off-kilter pass to feed Koulibaly early in the third quarter.
It wasn’t enough, and it was Wimpy who put Eli Okubo on the foul line to give Monaco their first lead, 82-81, with just over three minutes left.
Lloyd – not Wimpanyama – ended up taking the MVP award and winners’ medal on court as Novak Djokovic made men’s Grand Slam history last Sunday with his 23rd men’s major title.
However, Wimpanyama’s journey towards greatness in his sport may have just begun.
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