Miraculous against Turkey and Italy but convincing against Poland, the French team will play a new final this Sunday, September 18 in a major international competition, only a year after that lost against the United States at the 2021 Olympic Games. A new final, a new opportunity to bring a second major title to French men’s basketball, and above all a golden opportunity for the Evan Fournier – Rudy Gobert generation to write its own history.
At the time of these lines, French basketball remains limited to a championship title, that won at EuroBasket 2013 by the famous Tony Parker generation.
TP, Boris Diaw, Florent Pietrus, Mickael Gelabale… so many names that will remain forever linked to this magnificent epic. A generation obviously apart for all that it has brought to the development of the orange ball in France, through the selection but also the different courses in the NBA with obviously Tony at the head of the gondola. But this Sunday, we may witness the crowning of the 1992 Generation, the one who lived through the last moments of the Parker era but who then took over to keep the French team in the category of the great basketball nations. global.
Evan Fournier et Rudy Gobert.
They were in the squad at the 2014 World Cup, when France won bronze in Spain, but then they had a limited role behind leaders Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw. They were also present in 2015 when the Blues once again finished third at the EuroBasket organized in France, in which Rudy really came to light. A revelation that also allowed Gobert to be part of Tony Parker’s last dance at the Rio 2016 Olympics. But we also had to wait the end of the 2010 decade to see this new generation take on the leadership and write a new great page in French basketball. Now all that’s missing is one victory to definitely step out of the shadow of the previous generation, and have your own story to tell.
Source image : EuroSport
This story, it really began three years ago, and it already has very beautiful chapters.
2019 World Cup, Dongguan (China). The Blues hit Team USA in the quarter-finals, they who had been undefeated for no less than 13 years in major international competitions. A historic victory for French basketball who had never beaten the Ricans before in a World Cup or at the Olympic Games, and a resounding feat for Fournier (22 points) and Rudy (21 points, 16 rebounds, 3 blocks), executioners of the Americans on this glorious September day. The following ? A super frustrating defeat against Argentina, but still a bronze medal at the end.
Olympic Games, 2021, Tokyo (Japan). The Blues begin the competition with another success against the United States, and this time we are not talking about Team USA’s Z team. Opposite, there is Kevin Durant, there is Damian Lillard, there is Jayson Tatum. But on the ground, there is especially Vavane (28 points), Gobert (14 points, 9 rebounds) and Nando De Colo (13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), who all carry EDF towards a prestigious victory. A victory that marks the start of a magnificent journey, made up of legendary moments such as Nicolas Batum’s block at the last second against Slovenia or Evan’s dedication to horse riding, and which is punctuated by a dream clash against the Ricans on the biggest stage in world basketball. Kevin Durant ends up blocking the way for Vincent Collet’s men in the final, but the Blues can clearly come out with their heads held high with their status as Olympic vice-champions.
Those moments will never be forgotten. Because beating the United States in basketball in a major international competition, there are very few nations that can boast about it. Because a bronze medal – even if it ends up in the sock – remains a line that counts on the list. Because an Olympic silver medal can be worn proudly. But if we have learned one thing by living all these emotions, it is that Generation 1992 is hyper ambitious and that it is not the type to be satisfied with a second place, however honorable it may be. .
Do you remember Evan Fournier’s speech after the defeat against the States in the final of the Olympics?
“It’s obviously a disappointment but there are a lot of lessons to be learned. Each year, we go up a step, our goal now is the European Championships. »
Here we are.
Bronze at the 2019 World Cup, silver at the Tokyo Olympics, gold at EuroBasket 2022? It sounds super well said like that, but before that there is still a match to be won against the eternal Spanish rival. As so often in the past, La Roja finds itself once again on the road to the Blues, but for the Fournier-Gobert generation it is much more than another chapter in a legendary rivalry. Because if the latter began more than a decade ago and brought us simply memorable clashes, this Euro final undoubtedly represents the best opportunity for the current France group to write its own legend.
Without wanting to enter into the game of comparisons or to oppose the current generation with that of TP, a second title of European champion in 2022 would sound like a validation for the Blues version Fournier – Gobert. A validation of their talent, a validation of the culture that currently reigns in the French team, a validation in relation to the involvement of its current leaders, namely Vavane in attack and Rudy in defense. Without Nico Batum and Nando De Colo who have decided to skip the Euro in Germany, it was time for the hairdresser from Charenton and the giant from Saint-Quentin to officially take the captaincy from the height of their status. referenced NBA playerto be truly in the costume of guide as much on the floor as outside.
Responsibilities they assume today despite the ups and downs experienced by the Blues since the start of the competition in early September. Thanks also to a Guerschon Yabusele who plays probably the best basketball of his career, but also players who step-up at the right time like Thomas Heurtel, Terry Tarpey and a few others, the Evan-Rudy generation is really only 40 minutes from making a completely special place for itself in the history of French basketball. And why not become the most beautiful of all generations, in the event of an Olympic title, in 2024 in Paris.
Of course we are not there yet. Spain has shattered many of our dreams over the last fifteen years, so let’s not put the cart before the bulls as they say. But one thing is certain, the 1992 Generation symbolized by Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert is writing a very fine page in French basketball, which really started writing at the 2019 World Cup and which must be stamped by a title in a major international competition. Vavane, Rudy, it’s your time!
