Mr. France: Fans pack stadium for Victor Wembanyama's Olympic debut

VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — The Olympic career of Victor Wembanyama has officially begun.

The 7-foot-4 French phenom won the tipoff against Brazil's Bruno Caboclo on Saturday, marking his Olympic debut.

The anticipation for Wembanyama could be seen throughout Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille well before France's opening game of the tournament.

Fans lined up on the rail of the catwalk, jockeying for positions to snap photos of the 20-year-old star of the host country's Olympic delegation.

The buzz was even higher for a fan base that missed out on seeing Wembanyama at the opening ceremony on Friday night in Paris. He and his teammates opted to stay in Lille, an hour-plus train ride away, to rest for their opener against Brazil

When he finally took the floor to begin his shooting routine, “Wemby” was met by a rolling thunder of cheers and mobile phone cameras. When he dribbled to the far end of the court to take a few shots, fans counted each of his first 10 made shots as blue, white and red flags waved from the stands.

The San Antonio Spurs star was the NBA's rookie of the year this past season.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games