Portrait in action: The French slam dunk party

PARIS (France) - France, a country with one of the deepest talent pools in international hoops, have slammed and jammed their way to the best overall shooting percentage in the first couple of windows of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

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Les Bleus are No. 1 in overall shooting percentage (55.8%), while inside the arc it's even better, an eye-popping 70%!

Indeed, as they have rolled to four victories in as many games to top Group E ahead of Montenegro, Hungary (both 2-2) and Portugal (0-4), France have had great looks at the basket.

That includes many a dunk from many a Frenchman! France are getting slams in their half-court offense, and they're getting them in transition.

There are so many rim-rockers that when the French play, it's hard to keep count. But we've got them all for you right here, including a bevy from Isaia Cordinier.

"Portrait in Action" is a feature where some of the most outstanding talents around the world are highlighted, putting on display what they can do on the court that makes them must-watch candidates. Make sure to consistently check the FIBA.basketball website for "Portraits in Action" of your favorite players.

Main course: Cordinier Bleu

Blend the words "Sky" and "Isaia" and you get Sky-saia - an appropriate nickname for Cordinier because up in the sky is where you find the 1.91m (6ft 3in) shooting guard when he's on (or rather above) the court.

When the ball has been in his hands,  he's thought about throwing down vicious dunks. Every slam by the extremely athletic Virtus Bologna man has been with two hands. Cordinier's 68.2% (15 of 22) accuracy from 2pt range isn't just helping France in their pursuit of a World Cup berth.

He's also playing himself onto the France roster for FIBA EuroBasket 2022. Coach Vincent Collet will need a spark off the bench, and that is a role Cordinier, who has a team high five steals, is perfect for. 

Return of the Jaiteh

France's third leading scorer in the European Qualifiers at 10.8 points per game, the high-jumping Jaiteh - also a Virtus Bologna man - has made 83.3% of his attempts from the floor!

He went to the same dunking school as Cordinier because like Sky-saia, Jaiteh's jams have been with two hands.

The 27-year-old, who played in four of France's European Qualifiers games for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China, has been a true Jaiteh Knight.

The Others

Like the 2001 cinematic thriller starring Nicole Kidman, dunks from some of the other players in the France national team have been scary good.

The latest version of "The Others" stars a "streaking down the court" Terry Tarpey, the Amath "Monster Mash" M'Baye and "King" Louis Labeyrie.

One thing is for sure about this trio, and everyone else that dons the France jersey. Every game turns into a slam dunk party for Les Bleus.

FIBA