Jokic beat Wembanyama again — then crowned him

Serbia held off a late French rally to win 90-87 in front of roughly 20,000 fans at Belgrade Arena. It was a friendly, the first of two scheduled between the sides in August before both teams shift focus to FIBA World Cup 2027 European qualifying. Serbia led for the majority of the game, with France only closing the gap in the final quarter, outscoring their hosts 25-18 in that period — too little, too late.

Jokic’s near triple-double sinks France’s new captain

Jokic finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals in 29 minutes, posting a 34.00 performance index rating in the win. It marked the latest chapter in a head-to-head history that has already produced huge NBA numbers between the two: across three prior Nuggets–Spurs regular-season meetings, Jokic has scored 41, 46 and 40 points, while Wembanyama has answered with 35, 20 and 34.

Wembanyama, playing his first game as France’s captain and the first game Frederic Fauthoux coached him as head coach, finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 24 minutes, 44 seconds, good for a 10.00 PIR. Speaking afterward, he acknowledged feeling rusty: “I feel a bit rusty. We are still trying to get into rhythm and needed patterns. We fought until the end and I’m especially glad because of that, we never gave up,” Wembanyama said, according to BasketNews. He also downplayed any physicality between the sides, saying “there was a lot of respect from both sides,” and pointed to the FIBA ball as one of the biggest adjustments from the NBA game.

A rival turned admirer

The captaincy decision itself was notable given France still rosters veterans like Rudy Gobert, 34, and Evan Fournier, 33. Fauthoux explained the choice to hand the armband to the 22-year-old: “It was a decision made by the coach and the staff. I think the future belongs to Victor, that in his work ethic and his approach to the highest level, he is ambitious for his career with the French national team. There was no point in waiting. The time was right,” the coach said, according to BasketNews.

Jokic, for his part, made clear he does not frame the matchup as a personal duel. “He’s definitely special, because of how unique he is, as a player and as a person. I don’t see it as a rivalry,” the Serbian star said, before going further: “He definitely has an opportunity to be the most unique basketball player we have ever seen; it depends on how hard he is going to work, how he is going to fit, how he is going to find his spots and so on, but he definitely can be the best, the most unique one ever,” Jokic told Sportando.

The two teams are set for a rematch before World Cup qualifying begins on August 23 in Orleans. France enters the qualifying window with a 5-1 record atop Group L, with games against Slovenia and Sweden looming right after the Serbia series wraps up.

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