Former San Antonio Spurs star and Argentina basketball legend Manu Ginobili was among the many hoops fans who watched the 2024 Paris Olympics quarterfinal battle between France and Canada on Tuesday.
France eked out a hard-earned 82-73 victory over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company, allowing Le Bleus to book a spot in the semis and move just a win away from reaching the finals. Two more wins and they’d win the gold.
France had Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, whom Ginobili is familiar with given their common NBA affinity. Still, it was the duo of Guerschon Yabusele and Isaia Cordinier that really did the most damage to Canada. Yabusele led all France scorers with 22 points, while Cordinier had 20 points. Evan Fournier also came up big for France, especially late in the game, as he buried some huge shots and finished with 15 points.
“Great game by France! Cordinier’s start made a huge difference. Yabusele great all game and Fournier to close it. Congrats 🇫🇷!!,”Ginobili posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Ginobili knows a thing or two about winning in the Summer Games. After all, he led Argentina to a gold-medal finish in 2004 at the Athens Games. He and Argentina also took home the bronze in 2008 in Beijing.
Wembanyama finished the Canada game with just seven points on a poor 2/10 shooting from the field but he grabbed 12 rebounds and had three steals, while, With Rudy Gobert spending most of the game due to a finger injury and matchup issue, France still found a way to eke out a win and stay alive in the tournament.
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