Tony Parker’s number was retired after an evening of ups and downs for French basketball

Tony Parker’s number was retired after an evening of ups and downs for French basketball

Victor Wembanyama faces Nikola Jokic during the France-Serbia match in Décines-Charpieu, near Lyon (Rhône), on July 12, 2024. 

In the darkness, a long blue jersey with the white number 9 and the name “Parker” floated towards the sky. Pyrotechnics were set off as it slowly rose. On Friday, July 12, there was a lot of talk about jerseys at the LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, near Lyon. Blue jerseys in particular. Thirteen days before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the French men’s and women’s basketball teams each played a warm-up game in the arena before the ceremony honoring Tony Parker, the best player in the history of French basketball.

After dreaming of a double match against the USA – the men’s and women’s teams – for this festive evening, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) opted for a chosen opponent: Serbia, led on the men’s side by NBA superstar Nikola Jokic, faced Les Bleues and Les Bleus to kick off the ceremony on Friday. And while Marine Johannès and her teammates won their game (85-63), Victor Wembanyama and his partners left the Lyon region with a defeat (67-79) and a memory: the road to an Olympic medal will be strewn with obstacles.

After the French women’s cool victory over their former enemy (the Serbs defeated them in the 2015 and 2021 European Championship finals) and the resulting determination to impose an oppressive rhythm on their opponents throughout the game, the men’s match was a friendly in name only.

“It was bad from A to Z”

Unlike the runners-up, the French knew the test would be dangerous, with the presence of Jokic, who was voted NBA MVP for the third time this year and will be champion in 2023. But Les Bleus were determined to show their colours on this day of celebration for French basketball. “The blue jersey is my favourite jersey,” Wembanyama said the day before on the sidelines of a training session. And the world basketball phenomenon proved it again on the court on Friday. Back in the French team after missing the return match against world champions Germany in Montpellier (65-70 defeat), “Wemby” quickly found his stride, scoring seven of France’s first nine points (14 in total).

But Serbia soon posed serious problems for Rudy Gobert’s teammates. “Serbia is one of the best teams in the world, along with the US team, and I believe they will be particularly strong (at the Olympics),” warned France coach Vincent Collet on Thursday. “We can expect a very strong opponent.” He was well served.

The French struggled in the second quarter, conceding 16 points in a row. They struggled in attack, lacked imagination and gave Jokic and the Serbs too much space. “It was bad from start to finish,” criticized shooting guard Evan Fournier after the game. “We’re way off the mark. We’re dominated, we’re not playing the way we should.” Collet said his team responded “to the toughness of the Serbs” in the second half, but they were unable to catch up. The composed Serbs kept pushing the French back and showing their weaknesses, especially in attack. This “logical” defeat, to use Collet’s words, is something Les Bleus will have to build on when the Olympic tournament begins.

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