Inside The Wizards

French Wizards Give Fans First Look in EuroBasket Threads

The Washington Wizards' young Frenchmen have started preparing to represent their country in this summer's iteration of EuroBasket, and have the photos to prove it.
Henry Brown|
Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) handles the ball during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
Mar 5, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) handles the ball during the second quarter against the Utah Jazz at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

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EuroBasket is set to get going late next month, and the Washington Wizards will have some representation in one of Europe's top international basketball competitions.

Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr won't just be teammates on the Wizards. They're both set to suit up for the French national team, as they demonstrated in their media day photoshoot in full uniforms.

This opportunity should not only provide the young players with a chance to make their home country proud, but also net them some more basketball experience in preparation for the upcoming NBA regular season.

Even without Victor Wembanyama or Rudy Gobert participating, the French roster is still arguably more impressive than what the Wizards are expected to trot out on opening night, a developing roster that's expected to prioritize winning habits well over night-to-night results. They're certainly more experienced, staffing several national team mainstays, providing the inexperienced Wizards chances to pick up lessons for the fall.

Coulibaly's sophomore season didn't go as expected, with the defensive athlete missing even more games than he did as a rookie while stagnating as a shooter. Sarr ended up getting some accolades for his own up-and-down rookie campaign, but for every breathtaking defensive save he made during the season and in NBA Summer League, there were the mistakes that get him labeled as a "raw prospect."

They'll still be expected to make some real contributions for the French, with all of the team's usual shot-blocking specimen taking this one off to clear the road for Sarr. Coulibaly, for his part, remains an impressive fast break play-finisher and defensive stopper, so expect to see the young pair get some run together in August before they're featured as key Wizards once again in October.

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Henry Brown
HENRY BROWN

Henry covers the Washington Wizards and Baltimore Ravens with prior experience as a sports reporter with The Baltimore Sun, the Capital Gazette and The Lead. A Bowie, MD native, he earned his Journalism degree at the University of Maryland.

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