The French are taking over the NBA and Victor Wembanyama is loving it. For the first time in league history, two foreigners from the same country were the top picks in the draft. The Atlanta Hawks picked Zaccharie Risacher first overall, and the Washington Wizards selected Alex Sarr with the second pick, making it an all-French affair to kick off draft proceedings.
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Wembanyama celebrated his compatriots locking out the top row of the 2024 NBA draft on X, writing, “C’est La France Frère,” which translates to, “It’s France, brother.” Risacher and Sarr joined the San Antonio Spurs star as the only French lottery picks in the NBA draft.
C’est la France frère
— Wemby (@wemby) June 27, 2024
Wembanyama’s excitement is understandable. The future of the French National Team is looking blindingly bright, as they now have the top players of the last two draft classes and the second-best prospect in the 2024 draft class as well. The Hawks and Wizards should also be as excited as the Spurs star about their picks.
Risacher was touted as one of the top prospects leading up to the draft and the Hawks were reportedly scouting the forward incessantly while he was plying his trade with JL Bourg in France. He averaged 11.6 points, and 3.6 rebounds, and led his team to the semifinals of the LBN Pro A Playoffs.
While his stats aren’t eye-popping, the Hawks, like other teams who had him on their wishlist, have tremendous faith in the 19-year-old’s potential.
The Wizards commenced their French Revolution last year when they picked forward Bilal Coulibaly with the seventh overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft. They’ve used the second overall pick in this year’s draft to pair the young star with his compatriot, center Alex Sarr, who was seemingly the only player they were interested in picking.
The versatile big man spent last season in Australia playing for the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 9.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks despite playing only about 17 minutes per game.
Like Risacher, Sarr is a raw prospect. However, the Wizards are banking on him developing into an elite two-way center, who can also play as a power forward if needed.
The influx of foreign talent in the NBA has grown exponentially over the past five years. However, the last two years have belonged to France. Wembanyama, Coulibaly, Risacher, and Sarr have a bright future in the NBA and could also end the USA’s dominance in the Olympics. While there’s some time before that could happen, French basketball fans have reason to be excited about the future.
