Tony Parker on Victor Wembanyama: He's a little like LeBron James (2024)

Mike Finger @mikefinger
Victor Wembanyama’s summer team isn’t allowed to trade Rudy Gobert to Finland for Lauri Markkanen. As far as we know, there’s no Christophe Paul on the way.
If Wemby wants to win a medal next week, he has no choice but to seek improvement from within. expressnews.com/sports/spurs/a… – 6:14 PM

Ben Golliver @BenGolliver
France coach Vincent Collet on Victor Wembanyama in Germany loss: “He stopped the ball too much. Against that kind of aggressiveness, you can’t play that way. You are never 1-on-1 because they come to double team and there’s no space to operate. It’s important to move the ball.” – 5:24 PM

Donatas Urbonas @Urbodo
Moritz Wagner on his brother Franz posterizing Wemby:
“If he has a bad game, he’ll definitely watch it on YouTube at night.” – 5:16 PM

Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
“We got to trust our coaching more, trust our teammates more, do things that aren’t on the stat sheet,” France forward @wemby after loss to Germany. – 4:54 PM

Mike Finger @mikefinger
Barring a Team USA loss to Puerto Rico tomorrow, it’s hard to come up with a scenario in which France doesn’t get stuck playing Canada in the quarterfinals.
For Wembanyama, that is … not optimal. He might not get more than one game in Paris. – 4:37 PM

Chuck Cooperstein @coopmavs
The French inability to run any offense that winds up with Wembanyama in position to get a good shot is a complete indictment of the French guards and of the French coaching staff – 4:09 PM

Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Germany men’s basketball 48, France 27 and getting booed at halftime. Wemby 4 points. Schroder 15, Franz 16. – 3:58 PM

Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
French NBA rookies await their turn on Olympic team. Victor Wembanyama sat out World Cup in 2023, now plays in Olympics; NBA top two picks Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr look to 2028. bit.ly/4diwv5o – 3:57 PM

Tony Mejia @MejiaDinero
I’m fading LeBron James and Steph Curry PRA props, but think Team USA🇺🇸 could top the Serbian🇷🇸 margin of victory vs. Puerto Rico🇵🇷, which lost 107-66 on Wednesday. Read my @sportingnews preview of Group C’s finale for both North American sides: sportingnews.com/us/betting/new… #Olympics – 3:29 PM

Tim Reynolds @ByTimReynolds
Wemby gets his first points on a putback dunk with 6:51 left in the half. Germany leads France 30-21. – 3:29 PM

Mike Finger @mikefinger
Quarterfinals won’t be firmed up until tomorrow, but the way things stand:
If France beats Germany by more than 4 today, good chance Wemby gets Giannis and Greece (or maybe South Sudan).
If France loses or wins close, it could get Serbia, Australia or (with a loss) Canada. – 1:56 PM

James also saw many of his teammates contributing heavily coming off the bench. He wasn’t surprised. “It’s great,” James said. “I mean, you know, we’ve got 12 guys that can go out and get the job done, you know, any given night. And, you know, our second lineup came in and did that tonight for us. Defensively, that’s where it started, and then offensively, they were great as well.” -via EuroHoops.net / August 2, 2024

The latest war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has produced one of the largest displacement crises in the world. Some projections have more than eight million displaced Sudanese, mostly from South Sudan and including those displaced within the country. Another generation is being affected by war and will too know the longings of home. That’s why they didn’t lose on this night against USA. Because South Sudanese people across the world got to see their flag, their people, their likeness on a pedestal with legends. Omot was born in a refugee camp in Kenya in 1994, and he was the lucky one. His parents and older siblings trekked from Ethiopia and were arrested. The United Nations helped get them freed and settled into the Kenyan refugee camp, where Omot was born. He was two when the family relocated to Minnesota. Wednesday, he scored a game-high 24 points on 8-for-12 shooting and was dancing with LeBron James. -via New York Times / August 1, 2024

However, there is one player who bridges the gap between the new and older generations, displaying excellence on and off the court, even at 39. This mainstay of Team USA continues to inspire. “I did. I did,” responded Blatt, who coached LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2016, when asked if he watched the USA vs. Serbia game. And how does it feel to watch this player perform at such a high level at his age? “Amazement. And respect. And appreciation. That he can continue doing what he does at this level with such enthusiasm, effort, and commitment. It’s, you know… it’s really unbelievable. It really is. Respect, respect.” -via BasketNews / August 1, 2024

NBA star Tony Parker is selling his Texan mansion—with a waterslide mountain—for $10M Set on a 53-acre lot, the property comes with a 6,000-square-foot gym and one of the largest private waterparks in the U.S. -via Dwell / July 31, 2024

Marc J. Spears: French legend @tonyparker pic.twitter.com/idMRKanYkg -via Twitter @MarcJSpears / July 26, 2024

“I don’t know what is going on. I don’t know why he gets booed all the time,” said Anthony Edwards, expressing the confusion within the team. The source of the animosity traces back to Embiid’s decision to forgo playing for the French national team, despite allegedly promising to do so. When Edwards was informed of this, he couldn’t help but smile. “But you got Wemby and Rudy; why would he play with y’all? Wemby and Rudy, what more do y’all want? You want three 7-footers?” Edwards laughed. -via BasketNews / July 31, 2024

ClutchPoints: “He should’ve been Rookie of the Year, [Defensive Player of the Year], Most Improved, All-NBA, MVP.” D’Angelo Russell with some HIGH praise for Victor Wembanyama 🗣️ (via @TidalLeague / Run Your Race) -via Twitter / July 30, 2024

Grabbing at his lower right leg after a quick trip off the court late in the first quarter, then grabbing at his left hip a couple of times later in the game, Wembanyama seemed to be laboring at times in France’s second game of the Paris Olympics. After the game, Wembanyama said it wasn’t his hip that was bothering him, but “other places.” -via ESPN / July 30, 2024