On the morning of August 11, the Paris Olympics Men’s Basketball final took place, with host nation France losing 87-98 to the United States and settling for the silver medal, while the U.S. secured their fifth consecutive Olympic men’s basketball title. In this match, despite the loss, Wembanyama scored the highest on his team with 26 points and 7 rebounds, and former CBA import Yan Shubale also had an outstanding performance.
Facing a superpower like the United States, although France was playing at home, they were not favored. Despite this, France, playing in front of their home crowd, displayed a tenacious performance. Although they fell behind by double digits several times, they always stayed close in the game, even closing the gap to just three points with less than three minutes remaining. If it weren’t for Curry’s incredible performance, the outcome of the game would have been uncertain.
Wembanyama gave it his all in this game, making 11 out of 19 shots, including three three-pointers, scoring the highest in the game with 26 points and 7 rebounds, as well as 2 assists and 1 steal. This young player nearly led France to create a miracle. After the game, Wembanyama could not hide his disappointment and shed tears. However, looking at his overall performance throughout this Olympics, Wembanyama’s performance has been excellent, being the biggest contributor to France winning the silver medal.
Another standout player for the French team was Yan Shubale, who previously played for the Shanghai Sharks and the Tongxi Monkey Kings in the CBA. In this game, he made 6 out of 14 shots, scoring 20 points. In the second quarter, Yan Shubale’s powerful dunk over James to complete a 2+1 play amazed everyone. In the three elimination games, Yan Shubale averaged 19.7 points, leading the team in scoring in two of those games. Such outstanding performances may see him make a return to the NBA.