由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
- 作者：安德鲁·洛佩兹（Andrew Lopez）, ESPN 2024 年 7 月 27 日，美国东部时间上午 8:33
维克托·文班亚马（Victor Wembanyama）的奥运梦 始于多年前。但作为一个在法国长大的年轻人，他当时并没有考虑 2024 年的巴黎奥运会，甚至也没有考虑东京奥运会。他只想立即参加比赛。
“当我还是个孩子的时候，当我刚开始打篮球的时候，我总是告诉我的父母，我想在 2016 年代表篮球队参加里约奥运会，”文班亚马在圣安东尼奥马刺队常规赛结束时说道，“所以我迟到了一点，但这没什么大不了的。”
在里约奥运会期间，文班亚马只有 12 岁，而当法国队在 2000 年奥运会上获得银牌时，他甚至还没有出生。但是，他的梦想就像他 7 英尺 4 英寸（约 2.24 米）的身高一样高大。
作为 2023 年 NBA 选秀状元，文班亚马度过了一个辉煌的新秀赛季，他全票当选最佳新秀，并成为 NBA 历史上第一位入选最佳防守阵容一阵的新秀。带着这份势头，他带领法国队备战奥运会，希望能在家乡取得成功。
在参加的五场热身赛中，文班亚马场均得到 18.0 分、8.0 个篮板、4.4 次助攻和 1.2 次盖帽，投篮命中率为 56.9%，三分球命中率为 40.0%，罚球命中率为 90%。
文班亚马在球场上承受着巨大的压力，同时他也是法国奥运会的门面人物之一。他的形象遍布整个城市。他不断地用 法语和英语接受采访。他是耐克奥运会广告活动的主角之一，其中包括一面巨大的文班亚马横幅，装饰着巴黎蓬皮杜中心的整个侧面，蓬皮杜中心是巴黎的一家图书馆和现代艺术博物馆。作为奥运会历史上最高的运动员之一，他肯定会脱颖而出。
现在，文班亚马和法国国家队将在周六对阵巴西队的比赛中拉开奥运征程的序幕，法国队希望能够赢得他们的首枚奥运会金牌。如果他们成功了，他们将成为继 1996 年亚特兰大奥运会的美国队之后，第一个在本土举办的奥运会上获得金牌的国家。
为了赢得这枚一直与法国队失之交臂的世界大赛金牌（三枚奥运会银牌和两枚世界杯铜牌），文班亚马已经准备好迎接在奥运会历史上竞争最激烈的赛场上，作为东道主所带来的压力。
“过去几次我代表法国队参赛的经历已经非常不可思议了，但现在，奥运会是正式的比赛，也是最重大的比赛，”文班亚马在 5 月份告诉 ESPN，“我无法想象那会是什么样子。”
2021 年，由于疫情原因推迟到东京举行的奥运会上，当时只有 17 岁的文班亚马还没有准备好完成他在国家成年队的首秀。即使没有文班亚马，法国队在小组赛中还是以 83-76 击败了美国队，这是他们在奥运会历史上第一次战胜美国队。法国队最终晋级金牌争夺战，再次对阵美国队，最终以 87-82 的比分落败，获得了自 2000 年以来的首枚银牌。
文班亚马曾是 U19 世界杯和 U16 欧洲锦标赛法国队的成员，但这两支球队都只获得了银牌。在 2019 年的 U16 欧洲锦标赛上，文班亚马场均仅得到 9.0 分和 9.6 个篮板，但场均却有 5.3 次盖帽。
在 2023 年的 U19 世界杯上，文班亚马与切特·霍姆格伦（Chet Holmgren）的交锋令人难忘。在上赛季俄克拉荷马雷霆队的出色表现后，霍姆格伦在最佳新秀的争夺中仅次于文班亚马，排名第二。尽管文班亚马在决赛中砍下 22 分、8 个篮板和 8 次盖帽，但霍姆格伦和美国队还是以 83-81 的比分赢得了金牌。
2022 年 11 月，在国际篮联世界杯预选赛中，文班亚马终于完成了他在法国成年国家队的首秀，这受到了人们的热切期待。在他的前四场比赛中，文班亚马场均出场 25 分钟，得到 19.0 分、8.2 个篮板和 2.8 次盖帽。在结束了为法国球队大都会 92 队效力的赛季，并与马刺队进行了两场夏季联赛之后，文班亚马选择不参加 2023 年世界杯，因为他要为自己的新秀赛季做准备。没有了他，法国队在小组赛中以一胜两负的成绩出局，在 2015 年和 2019 年连续两届世界杯都获得铜牌后，这次的成绩令人失望。
“我真的很兴奋。我知道，即使是身披青年队的球衣，也总是能带来一种不一样的能量。所以，我真的很兴奋，”文班亚马在 5 月份告诉 ESPN。
然而，奥运会前的备战之路并不顺利。在战胜土耳其队和德国队（德国队缺少弗朗茨·瓦格纳（Franz Wagner）和莫里茨·瓦格纳（Moritz Wagner））之后，法国队遭遇了四连败。法国队先是在文班亚马缺阵的情况下输给了德国队，然后又输给了塞尔维亚队、加拿大队和澳大利亚队，其中输给澳大利亚队的比赛是在最后一秒被亚特兰大老鹰队后卫戴森·丹尼尔斯（Dyson Daniels）通过界外球配合完成上篮绝杀。
“我们从备战中吸取了很好的教训，因为我们都知道，最好是先遇到麻烦，然后再做好准备，”文班亚马在周三告诉记者，“我们走在正确的道路上，因为我们整个团队，包括教练和球员，都充满着不可思议的能量。”
play1:44
麦克菲和保罗谈论文班和 NBA 的年轻球星
克里斯·保罗（Chris Paul）做客帕特·麦克菲（Pat McAfee）的节目，分析了维克托·文班亚马对比赛的影响以及联盟中年轻球星的表现。
虽然法国队在今年夏天将文班亚马招入麾下，但他们却错过了引进乔尔·恩比德（Joel Embiid）的机会。恩比德来自喀麦隆，但他可以选择为法国队效力，而不是他最终选择的美国队。不过，即使没有这位前 NBA 最有价值球员，法国队的阵容中仍然有很多参加过 NBA 的球员。
上赛季的最佳防守球员，同时也是四届最佳防守球员获得者鲁迪·戈贝尔（Rudy Gobert）将与文班亚马一起镇守内线，这使得法国队拥有了最强大的禁区组合之一。尼古拉斯·巴图姆（Nicolas Batum）在这个休赛期与洛杉矶快船队签约，他也将继 2012 年和 2020 年奥运会之后再次代表法国队出战。队中其他现役 NBA 球员只有华盛顿奇才队的比拉尔·库里巴利（Bilal Coulibaly）和自由球员埃文·富尼耶（Evan Fournier），库里巴利和文班亚马一样，都是 2023 年进入 NBA 的新秀，而富尼耶上赛季效力于纽约尼克斯队和底特律活塞队。
弗朗克·尼利基纳（Frank Ntilikina）、盖尔雄·亚布塞莱（Guerschon Yabusele）和前欧洲联赛最有价值球员南多·德科洛（Nando de Colo）也都有过在 NBA 打球的经历。
“我们很幸运拥有一支经验丰富的球队，但我们知道，如果我们想要一路走下去，就需要在防守端做得更好。我们的防守将带动我们的进攻，”戈贝尔在法国队与巴西队的比赛前对记者说道，“我们正在努力工作，以便能够始终如一地发挥出我们的优势和实力。”
不仅是文班亚马，他的队友们也缺乏这种稳定性。在法国队过去的三场热身赛中，他们在第四节都被对手得分超过。输给塞尔维亚队和加拿大队的比赛都是以两位数的分差告负。尽管如此，根据 ESPN BET 的数据，法国队仍然是 B 组（同组对手包括巴西队、德国队和日本队）的夺冠热门，并且目前以 +1200 的赔率排名第三，仅次于美国队（-400）和加拿大队（+900）。
在本土创造历史可能意味着要击败实力强大的美国队，如果两队在淘汰赛阶段相遇，文班亚马很期待这场比赛。
“当然，我的意思是，即使我在常规赛中和那些家伙交手过，”文班亚马说道，“我很兴奋能与任何一支强队交手，但这真的取决于我们自己。我们正在努力争取走得尽可能远，争取赢得金牌。所以，我们的对手是谁并不重要。”
点击查看原文：'Different kind of energy': Wemby and France's quest for an Olympic gold medal
‘Different kind of energy’: Wemby and France’s quest for an Olympic gold medal
- Andrew Lopez, ESPNJul 27, 2024, 08:33 AM ET
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA’S OLYMPIC dream started years ago. But as a youngster in France, he wasn’t thinking about the 2024 games in Paris. Or even the Tokyo games. He wanted to play right away.
“When I was a kid, when I just started basketball, I always told my parents, I wanted to be in Rio in 2016 with the basketball team,” Wembanyama said at the end of the San Antonio Spurs regular season. “So I’m a little bit late, but it’s all good.”
Wembanyama was just 12 years old during the Rio Games and wasn’t even born when the French team won the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. But his dreams were just as big as his 7-foot-4 frame.
Coming off a rookie season in which the 2023 No. 1 pick was the unanimous Rookie of the Year and became the first rookie in NBA history to make the league’s All-Defensive first team, Wembanyama has carried the momentum into the lead-up to the Olympics for France in hopes of achieving success on his home soil.
In the five tuneup games he played, Wembanyama averaged 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 56.9% overall, 40.0% from 3 and 90% from the line.
As much as there has been pressure on Wembanyama on the court to lead his team, he’s also one of the faces of the Olympics in his home country. His image has been plastered all over the city. He has done a constant series of interviews in both French and English. He’s a large part of Nike’s Olympic campaign, which includes a massive banner of Wembanyama that adorns the entire side of the Centre Pompidou, a library and modern art museum in Paris. And as one of the tallest Olympians in history, he certainly will stand out.
Now Wembanyama and the French national team will tip off their Olympic campaign against Brazil on Saturday as the French look to win their first Olympic gold medal. They would become the first host nation to do so since the United States at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
To win the gold medal that has eluded France in world competitions – three silver medals in the Olympics and a pair of bronze medals in the World Cup – Wembanyama is ready to embrace that pressure that comes with being the host nation in the most competitive field in Olympic history.
"The few times I’ve [played for France] in the past were incredible already, but now that it’s official and the biggest competition, " Wembanyama told ESPN in May. “I can’t even imagine how it’s going to be.”
Wembanyama was still just 17 years old and not quite ready to make his national senior team debut for the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Even without Wembanyama, the French squad beat Team USA in group play, 83-76, their first win over the Americans in Olympic play. France advanced to the gold medal game – a rematch against Team USA – falling 87-82 and bringing home its first silver medal since 2000.
Wembanyama had been a part of the U19 World Cup and U16 European championship teams, but both of those squads also settled for silver. Wembanyama averaged just 9.0 points and 9.6 rebounds in 2019 at the U16 European championships but had a whopping 5.3 blocks per game.
At the U19 World Cup in 2023, Wembanyama famously matched up against Chet Holmgren, who finished second to Wembanyama in the Rookie of the Year race last season after a standout year for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Holmgren and the Americans took home the gold after an 83-81 win in the final despite a 22-point, 8-rebound, 8-block performance by Wembanyama.
Wembanyama finally made his much-anticipated debut for France’s senior national team during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in November 2022. In his first four games, Wembanyama averaged 19.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 25 minutes per game. After completing his season with French team Metropolitans 92 and playing two summer league games with the Spurs, Wembanyama opted against playing at the 2023 World Cup as he prepared for his rookie season. Without him, France crashed out in the group stage with just one win and two losses, a disappointing finish after winning bronze in the previous two iterations of the event in 2015 and 2019.
"I’m really, really excited. I know that wearing the jersey, even with the [youth] teams, it always brings some different kind of energy. So I’m really excited, " Wembanyamana told ESPN in May.
The lead-up to the Olympics, however, has not been what the French national team has had in mind. After exhibition victories against Turkey and Germany (who played without Franz Wagner or Moritz Wagner), the team has now lost four straight. France dropped one to Germany (with Wembanyama sitting out) before losing to Serbia, Canada and Australia – who beat Les Bleus on a last-second layup by Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels on an inbounds play.
“There are good lessons we’re taking from our preparation because we all know it’s better to get into trouble before and to be ready after,” Wembanyama told reporters on Wednesday. “We’re on the right track because the energy in our group as a whole – staff and players – is incredible.”
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McAfee and CP3 discuss Wemby and the NBA’s crop of young stars
Chris Paul joins Pat McAfee to break down Victor Wembanyama’s effect on the game and the league’s crop of young stars.
While France added Wembanyama to its roster this summer, the team did miss out on the possibility of adding Joel Embiid, who’s from Cameroon but also could have played for France instead of his selected choice of the United States. But even without the former NBA MVP, there’s still plenty of NBA experience on the French roster heading into the Olympics.
Last season’s Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time winner of the award Rudy Gobert will man the middle with Wembanyama giving the French one of the most imposing frontlines possible. Nicolas Batum, who signed with the LA Clippers this offseason, also joins the team after previously playing in the 2012 and 2020 Olympics. The only other active NBA players on the roster are Bilal Coulibaly of the Washington Wizards, who was a rookie in 2023 like Wembanyama, and free agent Evan Fournier who spent last season with the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons.
Frank Ntilikina, Guerschon Yabusele and former EuroLeague MVP Nando de Colo all have NBA experience under their belts, as well.
“We are lucky to have a team with experience, but we know if we want a chance to go all the way [we need] to be strong defensively. Our defense will fuel our attack,” Gobert told reporters ahead of France’s game against Brazil. “We are working very hard to be able to maximize our strengths and qualities with consistency.”
That consistency has eluded not only Wembanyama but the rest of his teammates, as well. In France’s past three exhibition games, the team has been outscored in the fourth quarter. The losses to Serbia and Canada were by double digits. Still, France is favored to win Group B (featuring Brazil, Germany and Japan) and currently has the third-best odds to win the gold, according to ESPN BET, (+1200) behind only the United States (-400) and Canada (+900).
And making history on home soil could mean defeating the heavily favored Team USA – a challenge that Wembanyama looks forward to if the two teams meet in the knockout rounds.
“Of course, I mean, even though I’ve been playing against those guys in the regular season,” Wembanyama said. “I’m excited to play against any good teams, but it’s really about us. We’re trying to make it as far as we can to the gold medal. So it doesn’t matter who our opponents are.”
via ESPN