By SAN ANTONIO – Victor Wembanyama’s former team in France, Metropolitans 92, is set to fold after going bankrupt one year after his leaving, according to French media reports.
Le Parisien says the team has notified French basketball authorities that they can no longer participate in any competition, after failing to come up with a potential buyer.
The club told its employees of the decision on Tuesday morning.
Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and eventual NBA Rookie of the Year, prior to playing with the Spurs played one season for the Metropolitans 92 and became the youngest player to win the Pro A MVP award, while also earning best defender honors and leading the league in scoring, rebounding and blocks. He led the team to the Finals, where they were eventually eliminated by AS Monaco in a 3–0 series sweep. He finished the season averaging 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game.
This past season the Metropolitans 92 club finished with only four wins, finishing dead last after losing Wembanyama and No. 7 overall NBA Draft pick Bilal Coulibaly to the Washington Wizards. The team would have been related to a lower tier of basketball in France if it had continued to play, according to the media reports.
Wembanyama finished his first season in the Alamo City averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and a league-leading 3.6 blocks per game. The Spurs, however, finished with just a 22-60 overall record and recently was awarded the No. 4 and No. 8 overall selections in the NBA Draft lottery.
The NBA Draft starts on Wednesday, June 26, and continues with the second round on a second night on Thursday, June 27.
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