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Around the Beat with L'Equipe's Maxime Aubin: 'Wemby has more haters in France than in the USA'
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- Around the Beat with L'Equipe's Maxime Aubin: 'Wemby has more haters in France than in the USA'
On the latest edition of the HoopsHype show "Around The Beat," hosts Cyro Asseoand Sam Yipbring you the pulse of the San Antonio Spurs from a unique perspective with Maxime Aubinof the French sports daily L'Equipe . They discuss Victor Wembanyama 's intense focus, the Spurs' rise in the West, the French fandom's passion, and what it's like to cover a once-in-a-generation talent up close.
You can watch the full podcast or check out snippets of the conversation in the transcribed version below the YouTube video.
Spurs as championship contendersTimestamp: 00:02:34 – 00:03:36
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Maxime Aubin: "I remember Wemby telling me the first year, 'You know what? You'll see by year three…' I mean, everything he has told me basically is happening now. This is what is so crazy about it. He told me right away, 'You'll see, by year three we're going to be good. By year five, we're going to hopefully win a championship. And I was like, 'Are you sure about that? You know, it's going to be tough.' So yeah, I just feel like everything is coming together this year. Obviously, it's a pretty young team, so we'll see. But I really want to see them in the playoffs, and I think they have a really good chance to, you know, we'll see, maybe make it to the conference finals, or maybe even the Finals. We'll see. It's too early to say."
Victor Wembanyama is locked in this seasonTimestamp: 00:05:26 – 00:06:11
MA: He's so locked in. You can see this year compared to year two. Before every game, when the locker room opens, we used to be able to talk to him a little bit, or even his teammates used to talk to him. Now, he's so locked in. When you see him in the locker room before a game, he's meditating, eyes closed. He has his routine. Every single day, he shows up, does this, does that, and boom, he goes on the court. You can just feel it, he's so locked in. And I think when he does that, it's pretty contagious for the other players."
A special bond in the Spurs locker roomTimestamp: 00:04:20 – 00:05:05
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MA: "You know, obviously I live in San Antonio , I cover the Spurs, but I travel a lot. I see a lot of teams. I go to a lot of locker rooms. These guys here, there is something special about them - the bond they have, the friendship, everything. So I just think the Spurs know how to do it, you know? And yeah, they're just surrounding Wemby with the right pieces, the right guys, and it's clicking. It's clicking."
The "Fever Dream" of Wembanyama's first three seasonsTimestamp: 00:24:02 – 00:24:45
MA: "We have so many good memories, right? I think the best one has to be this big, one-on-one interview I did last July in Las Vegas . That was the first time after two years, can you believe it? The first time I had him one-on-one for like 40 or 45 minutes. That was just amazing. At the time, he was coming back from his shoulder injury. So he gave me this big news, telling me, 'Hey, I'm finally healthy. I'm finally back to playing basketball.' We talked about so much. We talked about his offseason, him going to China to train with the monks. It was a beautiful, deep, and very interesting conversation." Reaction to the blood clot initiallyTimestamp: 00:25:38 – 00:26:37
MA: "One older memory that comes to my mind right away... is when we heard about the blood clot. I remember we were in Austin, Texas, just after the All-Star break. The Spurs were playing two games in Austin, and I just remember them telling me about the injury and the seriousness of it. I felt like, 'Holy shit. Maybe that's the end for me, the end of my career here in San Antonio. That is the end for him.' I felt so sad for him. That was a very, very dark day. I'm just happy now that he was able to come back and be healthy again. On that day, it could have been the end for everything I'd done, for moving to San Antonio. So it was a bad day. It could have been a bad day for French basketball as a whole."
Mar 6, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts with teammates forwards Carter Bryant (11) and Julian Champagnie (30) and guard Devin Vassell (24) after securing a comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
Victor Wembanyama has more haters in France than in the USATimestamp: 00:29:39 – 00:31:20
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MA: "The funny thing is that he's become such a big star that everything he does, and everything he doesn't do, creates headlines. As a reporter, it's interesting to see readers reach out to me. A lot of them say he's amazing, he's French, and they're proud of him. But there are also a lot of people in France who still say, 'This guy has done nothing in basketball. Where is this hype coming from? Why? He hasn't won anything.' That comes back every time. I think it's part of the star system, because he's already huge. At the same time, it's also part of French culture: the criticism, the idea of saying, 'Don't do too much. Don't become that big of a star yet.' So yeah, it's interesting to watch, because a lot of people still criticize him." Host: "So there are French haters. There are haters in France, basically." MA: "A lot. I actually think there are even more in France than in the U.S."
Victor Wembanyama's evolution as a playerTimestamp: 00:39:24 – 00:40:59
MA: "The biggest difference I feel is now he has the talent around him, and he knows that. He doesn't care if he ends up with 10 points a game, or 30, or 60. He just doesn't care. And that's what you see game after game, with his stats going up and down. When you ask, 'Do you think you could be an MVP?' he really understands now that he doesn't have to force too much. Every game, or almost every game, he draws two or three guys onto him. I think he's just smarter now. If the defense is going to play that way, he just makes the extra pass; he doesn't force a shot every time he has it in his hands. So I think the biggest difference now is he understands what to do with the ball."
Mar 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts after his team scores against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Have the Spurs purposefully brought veteran centers and French-speaking players for Wemby?Timestamp: 00:44:17 – 00:45:21
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MA: "You see the bond between him and Bismack. They share that bond because they're from the same roots, basically. Between that and what you see on the floor, you can witness him helping and teaching him what it takes to make it to the playoffs and make a big run. Definitely, I think it helps a lot. Especially Bismack, he's a great guy. I speak a lot with him because, you know, he speaks French. I think he's really important for Wemby and everything this year. In terms of other French players, I know that Guerschon[ Yabusele ] was maybe supposed to sign for the Spurs, and it didn't happen. I was so enthusiastic about having him because this guy is just an amazing human being, a great player, and the captain of the French National Team. But great for him that he signed with the Bulls and he's doing good there."
You can follow Cyro Asseo (@CyroAsseo), Sam Yip (@SamYip__), and Maxime Aubin (@MaximeAubin1) on X.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Around the Beat with L'Equipe's Maxime Aubin: 'Wemby has more haters in France than in the USA'
