Nikola Jokic Gets Honest About Victor Wembanyama After France-Serbia Clash

With the NBA season still a number of months away, multiple star players played in an international friendly matchup between Serbia and France, including last season's MVP contenders Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.

Key points

• More news: Former LeBron James Teammate Gives Valuable Advice Ahead of 76ers Season.
• The San Antonio Spurs' 7-foot-4 center had a particularly uncharacteristic performance with just 10 points, four rebounds, and six turnovers during 24 minutes of game time.
• More news: Tyrese Maxey Weighs in on First Workout With LeBron James, Jaylen Brown.
• It's additionally worth noting that fellow Frenchman and NBA star Rudy Gobert didn't have the best game for France either.
• Both All-Star players were among the top three contenders in the final voting for the NBA MVP Award.

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In practice, the Denver Nuggets' Jokic led Serbia, putting on a typical Jokic-like performance with a near triple-double of 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in a 90-87 win over Wemby's France. The San Antonio Spurs' 7-foot-4 center had a particularly uncharacteristic performance with just 10 points, four rebounds, and six turnovers during 24 minutes of game time.

Despite a disappointing performance from Wemby, Jokic created a robust statement after the game regarding the young phenom's future potential in the NBA.

"But Victor definitely has an opportunity to be the most unique, the most basketball player that you've ever seen. It only depends on him how well he's gonna fit, how well he's gonna work hard, how well he's gonna obtain to his spots, treat his body well, " Jokic stated at a media session. "He definitely has an opportunity to be the best ever."

As far as Jokic considering Wemby a basketball rival, he remarked he doesn't, even though he's another one of the best players in the world; he doesn't view their meetings that way.

"He's definitely a special opponent, you know. As a person, you know?, just since of how unique he is as a player. So, I don't see it as a rivalry. I think I play every game the same way, " he remarked.

It's additionally worth noting that fellow Frenchman and NBA star Rudy Gobert didn't have the best game for France either. The Minnesota Timberwolves star had just six points and three rebounds against Serbia.

While Wemby didn't have his best outing, he did come up with a highlight block on a Jokic layup attempt during the friendly game.

Jokic and Wemby are probably both looking to the upcoming NBA season as a fresh start for their respective teams. The Spurs are coming off that disappointing loss in the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks, and the Nuggets were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Both All-Star players were among the top three contenders in the final voting for the NBA MVP Award. Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bested them for the award, with Jokic finishing second and Wemby in third.

For the season ahead, Wemby is already the favorite to win the 2027 NBA MVP and additionally a favorite to repeat as the Defensive Player of the Year, an award he may rack up repeatedly throughout what is on pace to be an incredible career.

More news: Former LeBron James Teammate Gives Valuable Advice Ahead of 76ers Season. For more regarding the NBA, head over to Newsweek Sports.

Taken together, the developments around nikola Jokic Gets Honest About Victor Wembanyama After France point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.