Wembanyama Celebrates Risacher: France Can Go 4 in a Row with No. 1 NBA Draft Picks

Victor Wembanyama doesn't think France is done dominating the NBA draft.

The San Antonio Spurs star congratulated No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and said he hopes France continues its takeover at the top of drafts.

"If we've done it twice in a row, it means we can do it a third and why not a fourth time," Wembanyama told reporters Thursday.

Wembanyama and Risacher are the first two players from European countries to go No. 1 overall in back-to-back years. They're the second pair of non-Americans to pull off the feat, joining Canadians Anthony Bennett (2013) and Andrew Wiggins (2014).

France's best opportunity to make it three straight is point guard Nolan Traore, who is widely considered a top-five pick in the 2025 class. Traore will face tough competition in a loaded class that also features Duke's Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper of Rutgers.

Flagg is currently considered the heavy favorite for the No. 1 slot, earning generational prospect evaluations across the board. Still, Traore is a 6'5" point guard who can score in droves and just turned 18 years old in May; he's only going to continue his ascent and could wind up challenging Flagg with a strong year in France.

There were a record four French players taken in the first round Wednesday night, with Alex Sarr (No. 2, Washington Wizards), Tidjane Salaun (No. 6, Charlotte Hornets), and Pacome Dadiet (No. 25, New York Knicks) all coming off the board.

Given the continued rise of young French players, the United States should at the very least be concerned with holding onto its dominance on the world stage. While most of France's top stars are still coming into their own ahead of the Paris Olympics this summer, come 2028 there could be a real challenge to the U.S.'s throne.