Victor Wembanyama says final against USA is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity

France has never won an Olympic basketball gold medal, and now they have the perfect opportunity to fight for it at home in Paris as they have been hosting the tournament this summer. The only problem is that they don't have to face anyone other than Team USA, which is the nation that won the championship in the history of this tournament.

However, the French team has experience this time around, as they return to the finals in consecutive Olympics after defeating Germany 73-69 on Thursday. According to their main star Victor Wembanyama, this opportunity represents a “once in a lifetime” moment to win glory.

The European team has won silver three times before, in 1948, 2000 and most recently at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Now, it is only 40 minutes away, in the ideal conditions at home, from the coveted crown.

The pure emotion of Victor Wembanyama and the French team after advancing to the gold medal match pic.twitter.com/HbvLyDZs7S

– PropSwap (@PropSwap) August 8, 2024

“It's an opportunity to make even more history,” said Wembanyama, who was last year's NBA draft pick and eventual Rookie of the Year in his final campaign after a strong season with the San Antonio Spurs.

France has been producing some of the best players in the world in recent years, and this past Draft was proof of that, as one of the country's Zachary Risacher benefited from the top pick and went to the Atlanta Hawks in June. Alex Sarr was then selected as the second round pick by the Washington Wizards.

“Of course, (one) part of the dream has come true. It's a big part of the goal we set for ourselves in the past months,” confirmed 20-year-old Victor. “Definitely a once-in-a-lifetime goal. Maybe no one can produce that, so we have to take our chance. “

The seven-footer admitted that he was upset throughout the competition. “It's a wonderful, wonderful time. The fans made it difficult for me not to cry,” he said on Thursday after dropping 11 points against Germany in the semi-finals.

“I thank them for being as they are and for enjoying it as they do – this opportunity, this thing that we all live for,” said Wembanyama. “The national team, this jersey brings us that different energy that we can't find anywhere else, and we can see how intense we were in the last two games. It's something we all hear.”

Team USA had to come back from a 17-point deficit against Serbia to earn a spot in the finals of the Olympic Games against the hosts.

With only 7:19 left on the clock, Serbia was still leading by 11 points, and every American fan was biting their nails. However, Team USA showed true strength when they won the game where they led for only 3 minutes and 25 seconds, as opposed to their opponents' 35:12 lead on the score sheet.

“I'm very happy to be a part of this game,” said American coach Steve Kerr. “It's one of the greatest basketball games I've ever been a part of. They were perfect. They played a perfect game. Our coaches were Villanova-Georgetown, to all our alumni and viewers out there.

“But they played a perfect game, they forced us to reach the highest level of competition we could have. And our guys were amazing in that fourth quarter, and they did it. “

Now the Americans will fight for gold in the push against France, which will serve as a repeat of the gold medal at the Tokyo Games three years ago, where the US won 87-82. Both Germany and Serbia will face each other earlier that Saturday for bronze.