Victor Wembanyama, France Barely Escape Canada, Advance To Semifinals vs. Germany

The San Antonio Spurs big man didn't do much offensively against Team Canada, but he did come up big when his country needed him the most.

Aug 6, 2024; Paris, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) celebrates after defeating Canada in a men’s basketball quarterfinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Tuesday morning, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and his French squad defeated Canada 82-73 to advance to the semifinal round of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

With the loss, Canada's season came to a disappointing end. It was expected to compete for a medal with as much NBA talent as it brought, but instead, will not even be on the podium.

Wembanyama finished the game with seven points, but did grab 12 rebounds. He also chimed in with three assists, three steals and a block.

READ MORE: Victor Wembanyama Handling Attention at Olympics

The French star shot a disappointing 2-of-10 from the field — by far his most disappointing game in the tournament. The game was considered an upset as Canada was the favorite, but France clearly had a more complete roster.

Aug 6, 2024; Paris, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) celebrates after defeating Canada in a men’s basketball quarterfinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. | Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Wembanyama spoke with The Washington Post after the game.

"We all had to realize our roles, our history, and the direction we wanted to take," Wembanyama said. "We had four days [since their loss to Germany] that's a lot of time to think and fix things. The players were dedicated to fixing everything."

France’s Victor Wembanyama on upset win over Canada: “We all had to realize our roles, our history and the direction we wanted to take. We had four days — that’s a lot of time to think and fix things. The players were dedicated to fixing everything.” pic.twitter.com/2ry8xPlKqu

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 6, 2024

French coach Vincent Collet pulled four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert andEvan Fournier from the starting lineup. Gobert played just three minutes after suffering an unspecified injury in practice. Fournier didn't see the court until late in the first quarter — his benching a result of Collet taking issue with his critical comments after France's loss to Germany,.

Guerschon Yabusele scored 22 points after being inserted into the starting lineup for Fournier. Fournier came into the game and scored 15 points for France.

With the win, France will move on to the men's semifinal, where it will have a rematch against Dennis Schröder and Germany with a chance to move on to the gold medal game.

Tipoff from that contest is scheduled for Thursday morning at 10:30 Central.