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USA are the 2026 FIBA Women's World Cup champions. After a tight battle in the first half, Team USA exploded in the third quarter to win the World Cup gold medal 97-79 against France. Despite being down by two points at the half, USA played an incredible third quarter (30-12) and took off ever since. Breanna Stewart dominated for the champions with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as she was named the MVP of the tournament. Stewart has never lost a game at the World Cup with a 26-0 record while wearing the USA jersey.
It’s officially USA-France for the World Cup gold medal tomorrow at Berlin’s Uber Arena. USA uses a strong fourth quarter to beat Spain, 76-66. The rematch of the 2024 Paris Olympic final is happening. Spain and Germany will play for bronze.
Patrick Beverley: "I'm still doing it, man. Year 19, I'm still playing basketball, man. I get a chance to play with a new team in France, you know me, and I've kind of found my niche, you know. I'm not going to do the EuroLeague, I'm not going to do the big clubs. No, I want to take teams that are in the middle of the pack, that want to go up, and I'm going to bring them up, and that's my niche."
Sekou Doumbouya (born December 23, 2000, in Conakry, Republic of Guinea) has joined Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos to compete in the 2026/27 Liga Endesa and BKT EuroCup seasons. The 2.06m center has experience in the domestic league, having played one season with MoraBanc Andorra. The player began his professional career in France, where he was part of Pôle France, Poitiers and Limoges CSP, in a period that extended from 2015 to 2019. It was then that Doumbouya made the leap to the United States, where he competed in the G League with the Grand Rapids Drive and with the Detroit Pistons in the NBA.
Tony Parker, now the head coach of ASVEL Villeurbanne in France, could not hide his excitement when he saw his former San Antonio Spurs teammate Patty Mills walk into the team's practice facility. Even thousands of miles away in the Philippines, where Parker recently visited, he lit up when talking about Mills, who is now the new face of ASVEL. "Man, I'm super happy," Parker said at NBA House Philippines. "I was super happy when I saw him arrive. "It was almost like a surreal moment, you know, when I saw him come into the training center, and I saw his face with the ASVEL jersey, I was like, wow, that's crazy."
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The team also moved on from Sylvain Francisco, a 28-year-old guard who reportedly drew interest from the Chicago Bulls this offseason. Still, Parker has pieces to work with. Patty Mills headlines a veteran group that also includes ex-NBA players TyTy Washington, Joel Bolomboy and Jae Crowder. "It's going to be a great story, especially if we win a championship," Parker said.
Last week, Victor Wembanyama was asked for his thoughts on the 2027 French presidential election, in which right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) — formerly known as the National Front — party leader Marine Le Pen leads the polls to succeed Emmanuel Macron. “As the years go by, I have fewer and fewer filters, and I’m less and less afraid to say what I think,” Wembanyama said in French to reporters last week. “I haven’t looked into the presidential election closely enough, but I’m not afraid to share my opinion, either. I’m not afraid of upsetting people.”
After leading France to a dominant Window 4 of the FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers, Victor Wembanyama is now shifting his focus to going back to San Antonio. As such, the superstar simply can't wait to finally rejoin the Spurs and continue their work ahead of the highly anticipated 2026-27 NBA season. "It doesn’t change the fact that I’m still really excited to return to San Antonio and get back to work," Wembanyama told L'Equipe. "There’s nowhere else quite like it when it comes to putting in the work."
Evan Fournier on Victor Wembanyama: "He's a global megastar, but day-to-day, he's a great guy, focused on others, who really wants to perform. The fact that he's here, I won't lie, has been a motivation for me to keep going. Seeing a kid who wants to achieve things and puts in the work is inspiring... I don't want to come just for the sake of coming."
Is it nostalgia? Joy? Victor Wembanyama: A little bit, yes. Well, more like nostalgia, yes and no. That doesn't change the fact that I'm still very excited to be back in San Antonio and to get back to work. There's nowhere else like it to work.
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Is it frustrating having to leave the French national team and not rejoining them for another year? Victor Wembanyama: Absolutely. A lot of frustration. I didn't expect it to be this much, but seeing these guys again, whom I've known for so long, feels so good. It's going to feel strange not being with them anymore. It's been a long time since I've been with the French national team. I was also in a different role. I think I've gotten older, without even realizing it, since then. I'm coming back to appreciate the good things (smiles).
“I don’t know if it’s relieved me. I think I’m just calmer,” Fournier replies. “I’m not going to say I’m getting old (laughs) , but… As you get older, you understand things better, you put them into perspective. My role? I can be the player who makes sure everything is in order. If we lack aggression, if we need to establish a half-court offense, put the ball where it needs to be, I can make sure of that… People think I’m just a scorer, but I can do a lot of things. If necessary, I can still score. Well, okay, maybe not 28 points against the USA (laughs) (2021 Olympics, France won 83-76) . ” I no longer see myself as the super aggressive player all the time. I think the main challenge will be determining, beyond Victor (Wembanyama), who will do what. With Rudy, we need to facilitate the transition, bridge the gap with the coach. I'm a veteran; I have more "insider knowledge" to share. Few have experience at this level, and it's crucial. In any case, it won't stop me from remaining the person I've always been.
France defeated Sweden 79-69 in Stockholm to record their seventh win in eight games of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Qualifiers.
Like what he sees from the Spurs, the legendary point guard also believes Wembanyama can take France to greater heights. “Same thing. I hope we get a lot of gold medals. I think we have a very, very good team. And now we just have to keep working hard,” he said.