PARIS (France) - The words dream, basketball and France are often spoke in the same sentence these days. Along with the name, Victor Wembanyama.
That's because the 2.24m (7ft 4in) center who followed his his selection as the No. 1 overall by San Antonio by averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game in his first season, is every bit as good as people expected. Maybe better. And he's playing for France at the Olympics.
During media day at the Les Bleus training camp, Wembanyama spoke about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is in front of him, the chance to play at a home Olympics, and also answered questions about France's national team.
One was about Wemby, the NBA Rookie of the Year, playing alongside 2.16m (7ft 1in) Rudy Gobert in the front court. Minnesota Timberwolves star Gobert, for the fourth time in his career, was this season named Defensive Player of the Year.
So what about that potential twin tower pairing?
"The goal is to bring something new," Wembanyama said. "Our goals are something that we have never achieved in the past (the Olympic gold medal), so we have to find a way to achieve them.
"I'm very excited, looking forward to sharing the court with all my teammates, especially Rudy. We talk about it a lot with the staff, with the players.
"I think we are on the same wavelength. I appreciate that there is good synergy between us. We share the same project, the same ambition, even if we have not yet started training with the group."
Everyone is dreaming of these Olympic Games - Wemby
Some wonder if France's disappointing performance at last year's World Cup should be a cause for concern. The French went into the tournament after finishing third at the previous two editions yet they ended up 18th out of 32 teams.
They got off on the wrong foot, falling 95-65 to Canada and immediately after slipped up against Latvia, 88-86, to scupper their chances of moving on to the Quarter-Finals.
"Bad results are part of the game, part of a career," Wembanyama said. "It's not something that worries me personally.
"I wasn't part of this French team last year so I can't talk about it. But from what I see this year, everyone is dreaming of these Olympic Games, everyone is in the starting blocks, ready to set foot on the court, starting with the friendly games, with intensity.
"The level of involvement is just incredible, the concentration, too. The goals for this summer are not just words, but also actions, on the part of the players and the staff.
"It all starts from a dream (the Olympic gold medal) and knowing that we have the possibility of achieving it. The French team finished with the silver medal during the last Olympics, was not far away (87-82 defeat in the Final against Team USA). I hope I can make my contribution."
Though Serbia coach Svetislav Pesic has said the USA has a better roster than the Dream Team he saw at the 1992 Olympics, when he was coach of Germany, there seems to be a general acceptance that the field in the Summer Games coming up will be the most competitive of all time.
"I don't know if it's the hottest of all time," Wembanyama said. "We can draw conclusions after the end.
"It’s really exciting to have the chance to face the American team, I hope we can play them. It will be a very interesting match-up. It's also a dream to play against Team USA and against all these legends, even if only in the NBA."
As for his aim of playing at the Olympics, has this become a goal in recent times when Wembanyama began to sense that he was going to play at the highest level of the game?
No.
"Since the first time I saw the Olympics on TV," Wembanyama said. "It was always a dream, and it turned into a goal as I grew up. It is a truly unique event in sport."
France will play in Group B at the Olympics with World Cup winners Germany, Japan and the team that wins the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia.
France will have several warmup games to play for the Olympics, including four that can be viewed on Courtside 1891.
Those games are France against Türkiye on July 3 in Rouen, France against Germany on July 6 in Cologne and again on July 8 in Montpellier. The other is the July 12 game against Serbia in Decines.
FIBA