In recent years, European prospects have taken over NBA drafts. After last year’s first-overall pick Victor Wembanyama, this year’s #1 pick Zaccharie Risacher and #2 pick Alex Sarr also happen to be Frenchmen. The Wizards rookie doesn’t seem to be interested in celebrating his country’s growing presence in the NBA, instead, choosing to draw comparisons between Wemby and himself.
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Before Sarr’s name was called 2nd overall, he sat down with Instagram personality and sports journalist, Sloane Weinstein, for a pre-draft rapid-fire interview.
When asked who would win a hypothetical 1v1 between him and his fellow French National teammate, Sarr first chose to go with an 11-11 tie game between himself and Wembanyama. However, later, he changed it to an 11-10 scoreline, giving himself the advantage in the matchup.
While it’s clear that Wembanyama, due to his height and larger frame, would most probably dominate Sarr, the outcome of the matchup wouldn’t be as close as one would think. Both players play the 4th or 5th spot on their respective teams, and when comparing skill levels, both demonstrate maturity in their game.
The 19-year-old is stronger and more Athletic than his French counterpart, while Wemby makes up for his lack of post strength by exploiting his length and quickness around the rim.
But this wasn’t the first time Sarr had thrown slight shade at Wemby. During the same interview, the NBL star left out Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert from his All-time French basketball player list. Answering a question on the same lines, Sarr had both himself and his older brother, Olivier, on the list, alongside San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker.
Netizens were clearly enraged with Sarr’s hot take. They found the addition of himself and his brother to the list downright disrespectful to French legends like Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum.
Moving forward, Sarr will have a lot to prove as his bold claims will surely attract a lot of attention from the likes of Wembanyama and Gobert. They are sure to match up against the Washington big-man in the upcoming season.
