Arthur Weill

Thirty years ago, no French basketball player had ever appeared on a professional roster in the U.S. Since then, N.B.A. teams have signed more than 50 players from France, including a record 17 under contract this season, more than any other country outside the U.S. This explosion in French basketball talent is no accident. The emergence of players such as Victor Wembenyama and Hugo Yimga-Moukouri, one of next year’s top draft prospects, is the result of development programs commissioned back in the twentieth century. But, as in soccer, French basketball has tapped into a growing youth population fuelled by migration from former colonies, and the stars who go on to represent the nation on the brightest stage represent a vision of multiculturalism redefining old notions of French identity. “With so many French basketball stars being the children of immigrants, and benefitting from government investment in youth programs, the country’s basketball triumphs spotlight success stories for national values that now appear in jeopardy,” Albert Samaha writes. Read more about France’s relationship with basketball: newyorkermag.visitlink.me/Yr…