September 25, 2000: The French national basketball team was in its final match in the preliminary round of Pool “A” of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Basketball Tournament. France sported a 2-2 record, beating China and New Zealand, but losing to Lithuania and Italy. And luckily, albeit badly, they faced off against the mighty Team USA, led by NBA superstars Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett, Gary Payton and Ray Allen, who were a perfect 4-0. record after deleting your opponents. It was truly a foregone conclusion that France would be their fifth casualty in their quest for another basketball gold medal.

But it would only get worse. With just 16 minutes left in the second half of what would be a 106-94 thrashing of France, Team USA’s Vince Carter, who just won the 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest seven months ago , stole a pass from almost the halfway line of the field. Looking for a safe dunk that rattled the rim, he faced off against Frédéric Weis, a gangly 7’2″ Frenchman desperately trying to hit an offensive foul just yards from the basket. Carter dribbled once and jumped. He jumped amazingly over Weis., scraping the Frenchman’s head for balance, and viciously hit the ball for two points. The entire Sydney SuperDome shuddered in amazement. And though they ultimately took the silver medal at the tournament, France were shamelessly posterized for them to everyone would see it.

But despite this unpleasant moment for the French flag, things began to look up for basketball in France. It started with the 2001 NBA selection of point guard sensation Tony Parker by the San Antonio Spurs, who went on to win a series of championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Parker was also declared Finals MVP in 2007, erasing the taste. bitter of that Weis debacle and paving the way for the NBA to fully recognize the wealth of talent coming from France.

Boris Diaw of the Charlotte Bobcats, whose versatility was shown playing for the Phoenix Suns from 2005 to 2008; Ronny Turiaf of the Golden State Warriors, who participated in the 2008 NBA Finals playing for the Los Angeles Lakers; Mickaël Piétrus of the Orlando Magic, who helped the Magic reach the 2009 Finals; and Joachim Noah of the Chicago Bulls, who was instrumental in the Bulls’ tough stand against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2009 Playoffs, are some of the notable players who raised the French flag in terms of playing in the nba. Don’t forget, though, that Tariq Abdul-Wahad, born Olivier Michael Saint-Jean, was the first French-born player to play in the NBA, suiting up for the Sacramento Kings, Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks since 1997. -2005.

So, by assuming these players, it can be said with certainty that not only with their great talent but also with the passion that they bring to the game, they are worthy enough to play basketball at the highest possible level. And even with that “le dunk de la mort” nearly a decade ago, France clearly got some serious game.