The big interview with Alain Contensoux, CEO and Technical Director of FFBB: « We know how to do things very well, but we don’t know how to sell them »

One year after the triumph of the Paris Olympics, where French basketball won three silver medals and its youth teams claimed four European titles, summer 2025 was a brutal return to reality. No titles for youth categories, a historic fourth place for the women’s national team, and an early elimination of the men’s team against Georgia in the EuroBasket round of 16.

Critics were harsh. Yet, Alain Contensoux refuses to panic. Having joined the Federation in 2010 after notable stints at the Sports Ministry and French Tennis Federation alongside Patrice Dominguez, he has experienced many cycles. « It’s always more complicated to stay at the very top, regardless of the sport, » he states upfront, recalling a truth sometimes forgotten in the demand for immediate results.

The reality of a changing European competition

The executive hides nothing: « Today in European basketball, Italy has made very strong progress in youth teams. Germany has implemented criteria in their training centers for over a decade now to ensure truly high-quality coaching. » Spain launched its U22 league last weekend to counter NCAA influence and retain its best talents. France is no longer alone at the top, and the European average level is inexorably rising.

But beyond competition, Contensoux points to an unprecedented « combination of circumstances » this summer: « I’ve never experienced a summer where no youth team was made up of the players we had planned for during the year. » Between three and four absences per selection, due to injuries or other reasons, the mix proved harmful. For the senior women’s team, Marine Fauthoux’s injury during preparation, combined with WNBA-related absences, weakened an already diminished roster.

The NCAA and WNBA challenge: preserving European identity

This is perhaps where Contensoux’s message takes on its full dimension. The NCAA, which he has followed since his candidacy for Technical Director fifteen years ago, has become an existential threat with the arrival of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness), the student-athlete compensation system. « For me, it’s a real danger for European basketball, » he states straightforwardly. « It would be a loss of European identity, which is a strong identity in world basketball. »

His argument is clear: « We need to have the Serbian school, we need to have the Spanish school, we need to have this French school, we need to have that difference. » A unique training ecosystem that uniformization through the NCAA could jeopardize. Moreover, statistics in hand, Contensoux recalls a reality: « The best path to the NBA, for a first-round draft pick, is still through the French championship. » From Tony Parker to Zaccharie Risacher through Victor Wembanyama, Nicolas Batum or Evan Fournier, all grew up on French courts before conquering overseas.

To counter this talent drain, the FFBB’s technical leader relies on education and transparency. « We need to properly explain to people that it’s not America, the NIL, no pun intended, and that everything they hope for won’t happen to everyone. » He mentions complex tax aspects, uncertain contracts, and those players who returned home after a disappointing NCAA year, « very happy to come back to France and have solutions in French clubs. »

For women, the challenge is even more acute. The WNBA will expand, reaching 18 franchises by 2030, creating sixty new contracts. « That means Europeans in there. So that means French players in there. Probably. At least, I hope so, » projects Contensoux. FIBA has recognized the issue: « There are think tanks, FIBA Europe notably, on the evolution of the women’s calendar. » The 2030 World Cup will thus be held at year’s end to avoid overlap with the WNBA season.

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