French teammates Victor Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly were both selected early in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Victor Wembanyama wasn't the only Frenchman taken early in the NBA draft.
His teammate Bilal Coulibaly was selected seventh overall by the Indiana Pacers and then traded to the Washington Wizards for No. 8 pick Jarace Walker and two second-round picks.
Coulibaly and Wembanyama, who was selected first by the San Antonio Spurs, became the first two players from France to both be selected in the top 20 of the NBA draft, according to the league.
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The two played for Metropolitans 92 of the French league, where the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama further established himself as the consensus top overall pick and a potential generational talent. Coulibaly, a 6-foot-8 forward, became a fast-rising prospect after getting increased playing time over the second half of the season.
He averaged just 5.0 points and 3.1 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game, but at just 18 years old, his upside was apparent.
NBA
He joins a Wizards team that will provide plenty of patience after initiating a rebuild this offseason by trading Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns and Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics in cap-clearing moves. Washington then dealt Chris Paul, who was acquired for Beal, to the Golden State Warriors for Jordan Poole, a 24-year-old shooting guard who averaged 20.4 points per game last season.
That leaves plenty of minutes and opportunity for Coulibaly, who is the third top-10 pick on the Wizards roster, joining Deni Avdija (No. 9 pick in 2020) and Danilo Gallinari (No. 6 pick in 2008).
Coulibaly and Wembanyama joined Killian Hayes (No. 7 in 2020) and Frank Ntilikina (No. 8 in 2017) as French players taken in the top 10. There have been more NBA players from France than from any other country outside of North America, according to the league.
“For French basketball, I’m so happy for it,” Coulibaly told reporters after the draft. “We’re getting more and more in this league."
The Associated Press contributed to this story
