French Influence in the NBA: Tony Parker discusses Victor Wembanyama and the growing impact of French players

Yahoo Sports’ Kerri Walsh Jennings sits down with NBA legend and Olympian Tony Parker at the Visa Lounge for Chase Sapphire Reserve to talk about France's quest for gold in the upcoming Olympics and the rising French presence in the NBA.

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Video Transcript

Kerri Walsh Jennings here with Yahoo Sports and I'm sitting with a legendary, the incredible Tony Parker, former NBA star forever an Olympian.

And I'm here at the Visa Lounge for Chase Sapphire Reserve.

France has yet to win a gold medal for French basketball.

But in Tokyo, you guys took home silver.

So do you think this is your year?

I think we have a very talented team but it's still gonna be tough to, to beat the U. Si think the US this year uh with lebron and KD and Steph Curry, I think it's going to be very, very hard to beat them.

So it would be very nice to be in the finals.

Uh I'll be super happy if we make the finals, but then I think we have to be realistic even if the US during the preparation.

You think like, oh maybe they beatable this year.

I'm like, man, when it's going to be game time, it's going to be very, very hard to beat them.

I think they're going to get the gold medal that the French influence in the NBA is just growing, you know, you have Victor, you have just these incredible athletes and it's all your fault.

What are your feelings that as a French influence grows within the NBA that affects the Olympic movement?

Actually, to be honest with you, Carrie, I feel very proud and to inspire a whole generation.

When I arrived, it was only two French guys and uh and I was the first French guy to be an NBA champion to be all star.

And so to have back to back number one pick with Victor and now Zakari who came in my academy, they both came from my academy, both played in my French team.

We both won championships with my French team to see.

Now they play at the highest level at the Olympic stage.

It's amazing and I never thought in my wildest dream and I always dream big, but that's pretty special.

Victor is obviously playing for the Spurs, your old franchise.

What guidance did you give him to, you know, have sustained excellence as a Spur is amazing, like, like his head and his mental side is, is nothing I can tell him.

It's like he, he's ready.

He's not bothered by the pressure or the expectation.

He, he's a little bit like lebron.

You know, the only one I can compare with so much expectation before you arrive is lebron James.

I think he's the only one that you can really compare.

And Victor the way he played his rookie season with the Spurs.

He was unbelievable.

And so I hope it translates with a lot of championships for the Spurs and I hope it will translate with a lot of medals for French basketball.

He has a chance to be one of the best players in the history of our game.

So what are you doing here?

I'm here with the Visa Chase Safa Reserve just to have an experience with fans to do a meet and greet.

Uh I came here on the boat so that was pretty cool.

And, uh, and I, and I like the, the idea to, to share experiences like if I was a kid, you know, growing up and I'm going to an event and I can, you know, ask some questions to the all the best athletes, like if I could have talked to Michael Jordan, that'd be like amazing.

And so I think it's a pretty cool uh idea and a cool experience.

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