- 1 Basket – 2028 Olympics: could France win its first gold medal?
- 2 5. France could boast the best frontcourt in the world
- 3 4. A generation hitting its prime
- 4 3. The United States are no longer untouchable
- 5 2. France’s talent pool has never looked this strong
- 6 1. Victor Wembanyama will be only 24
Basket – 2028 Olympics: could France win its first gold medal? 
Two Olympic finals lost, both against the United States, and the same nagging feeling each time: so close, yet never quite over the line. With Los Angeles 2028 edging closer, France’s men’s basketball team has probably never been better placed to land a historic title.
A special generation is coming through. Young stars are already producing at the top level, and plenty of big-game experience has been banked in major international tournaments. Les Bleus head into this cycle in a rare position by their recent standards. Team USA is still the benchmark, but the gap no longer looks impossible to close. And in a tournament as short and unpredictable as the Olympics, one swing can change everything.
Here are five solid reasons to believe France can finally strike gold in Los Angeles in 2028.
5. France could boast the best frontcourt in the world 
The best teams are usually built from the paint out, and with Los Angeles on the horizon, few nations look as well stocked there as France. Victor Wembanyama is the headline act, but he could be joined by Rudy Gobert, whose experience and defensive presence still matter plenty, plus Mathias Lessort, now one of Europe’s standout big men.
That already nasty core could be boosted by younger names such as Alexandre Sarr, Maxime Raynaud and Noa Essengue, all of whom will have stacked up several high-level seasons by 2028. Size, mobility, rim protection, rebounding: in FIBA basketball, where physicality still rules, France could own one of the tournament’s most feared weapons.
4. A generation hitting its prime
Los Angeles 2028 could land right in the sweet spot for several French leaders. Bilal Coulibaly, Zaccharie Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Nolan Traore should all have multiple NBA seasons behind them by then. Rarely has a French group carried this much talent, both on the perimeter and inside.
The strength of Les Bleus won’t come from youth alone. More seasoned players, such as Evan Fournier, back near his best in Europe with Olympiacos, will bring the know-how that matters when the lights get bright. Matthew Strazel, now a must-have in the EuroLeague, and Sylvain Francisco, a regular presence in international windows, should also be in their best years.
That blend of youth, skill and experience could give Frederic Fauthoux one of the most complete squads in France’s recent history.
🇫🇷 2028 on va froisser du ricain à Los Angeles…walk with me. pic.twitter.com/dTmQ9kTrce
— 50 Nuances 🇺🇸🏀 (@50NuancesDeNBA) June 14, 2024
3. The United States are no longer untouchable 
Team USA is still the gold standard, but the gap between America and the rest of the world has shrunk sharply in recent years. France has already proved it, beating the United States at the Tokyo Games in 2021, then pushing the Americans to the wire in the Paris final three years later.
There is more. Los Angeles 2028 should mark the end of a brilliant era. LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will either be retired or very close to it. The United States will still have an absurd talent pool, but replacing legends like that is never simple. A new wave will have to step up: Anthony Edwards, Chet Holmgren, Paolo Banchero, Jalen Brunson and Cooper Flagg, tipped as one of the next faces of the league.
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2. France’s talent pool has never looked this strong
France has always produced talent, but maybe never in this kind of volume. With NBA regulars, EuroLeague standouts and younger players still breaking through, Les Bleus look deeper than ever.
Victor Wembanyama, Bilal Coulibaly, Zaccharie Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Tidjane Salaun already point to the future of French basketball in the United States. In Europe, players like Mathias Lessort, Theo Maledon, Isaia Cordinier, Matthew Strazel and Evan Fournier offer real top-level reliability.
That depth could help France ride out injuries and tailor its game to any opponent. Another wave is coming too, with names such as Noa Essengue, Zaccharie Perrin, Ilane Fibleuil, Kilian Malwaya, Ilian Pietrus, Maxence Lemoine, Louka Letailleur, Mathys Mahop, Aaron Towo-Nansi and Nathan Soliman already closely watched in the youth ranks.
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1. Victor Wembanyama will be only 24
That is probably the biggest reason to believe. In 2028, Victor Wembanyama will be only 24 and could already rank among the very best players on the planet. His freakish defensive impact, his versatility and his ability to take over a game on his own make him a one-man problem nobody else in world basketball can really copy.
The greatest players in history rarely hit their peak before 25. Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Nikola Jokic all landed their biggest prizes after that age. If Wembanyama stays on the expected path, Los Angeles could be his first real Olympic tournament as a genuine MVP contender, maybe even the best player in the world.
With a golden generation, unmatched depth and a phenomenon like Wembanyama leading the way, France has probably never gone into an Olympics with this much belief. Les Bleus will also arrive carrying a revenge mission after back-to-back silver medals against the United States in Tokyo and Paris.
That hunger will surely burn even hotter for Wembanyama. Since breaking through, the French big man has often brushed against the biggest prizes without quite grabbing them. U16 European runner-up in 2019, runner-up at the U19 World Cup in 2021, French league runner-up with the Metropolitans 92 in 2023, Olympic silver medallist in Paris in 2024 and NBA finalist with the Spurs in 2026, the Alien has already taken more than his share of knocks despite his age.
For a competitor of his size, those setbacks can also fuel the fire. At just 24, Los Angeles 2028 could mean far more than another Olympic campaign. It could be the chance to win his first major title with France and plant his flag at the top of the global game for good, because the great champions are often built as much in defeat as in victory.
Now it is about turning that promise into gold, the one prize still missing from French basketball’s roll of honour.
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Photo credit: Ann-Dee Lamour / CDP MEDIA / DPPI via AFP
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