"He Wasn't Happy, Bro": Dwyane Wade Recalls Victor Wembanyama Getting His Silver Medal At The 2024 Olympics

There are moments when the old guard of the NBA cast their eyes on a promising young athlete and realize that they are the future of the sport. 

For Dwyane Wade, his Victor Wembanyama epiphany came nearly two years ago. It wasn’t a slam dunk, a chase-down block, or a clutch three-pointer that opened Wade’s eyes. In fact, it wasn’t even a moment of victory.

On a recent episode of his “Checkin” podcast, the three-time NBA champion remembered his observation of Wembanyama after Team USA defeated France in the finals of the 2024 Olympic men’s basketball tournament. “Wemby wasn’t happy, bro. He was pissed, being on that podium, getting that silver medal,” Wade recalled.

At the time, Wade was in awe of the French phenom’s reaction to the circumstances. “Wemby was, I think, 20 years old. You’d think he probably should be happy with that,” Wade pointed out. “He lost to LeBron, KD and Steph. Pissed. Like, ‘We were supposed to win this game.’”

Wembanyama’s demeanor was warranted, as he’d led a spirited charge by the French team on both ends of the floor. The 7-foot-4 big man finished with 26 points, seven rebounds, and two assists while also serving as the primary deterrent at the rim.

Yet, with a flurry of three-pointers from his fellow first-time Olympian Steph Curry, Team USA pulled away in the closing moments of the game. In front of a rabid home crowd at Paris’ Bercy Arena, Wembanyama and his teammates had the gold medal within their grasp, only to watch it slip thanks to Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant.

Wade, it seems, would have been fine with a young man adding a silver medal to his resume at that point. But the Basketball Hall of Famer came to admire Wembanyama even more when he saw the utter lack of contentment.

“When I saw that, I thought, I like this young fella right here,” Wade said. “He ain’t happy to get the invite. He wanted it to be his party.”

Two years from now, Wembanyama will have an opportunity to give Team USA a dose of their own medicine by winning a gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Wade, for one, can’t wait. “That’s a good player to say, I’m going to follow his career, and I’m going to be a big fan of him,” he added.