Victor Wembanyama’s withdrawal from the World Cup basketball could help Canada

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, CBC Sports’ daily email newsletter. Stay up to date with what’s happening in the sport by subscribing here.

Victor Wembanyama announced today that he will not play for France at the World Cup this summer. The 19-year-old sensation previously said he would take part in the tournament – a key qualifier for next year’s Olympics in Paris – but revealed the change of plans four days after being selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA draft.

“It would be unrealistic in terms of development and not wise in terms of health,” Wembanyama told French newspaper L’Equipe. The 7-foot-4 center added that withdrawing from the World Cup was a “difficult” decision that he made “on his own” after consulting with his medical team.

Wembanyama’s loss could be a blow to France’s medal chances at the World Cup, where they took back-to-back bronze victories in 2014 and ’19. But it won’t necessarily hurt their bid for a second Olympic podium in a row. The 2021 silver medalists are guaranteed a spot in Paris next summer as hosts.

LOOK | Wembanyama selected as No. 1 overall by San Antonio Spurs:

The other obvious losers here are basketball fans, who were thrilled to see the most acclaimed prospect since LeBron James compete on a major international stage before making his NBA debut in the fall. They will now have to get their Wembanyama fix through next month’s NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where the phenom still plans to play for the Spurs team.

A possible winner of the Wembanyama withdrawal is Canada. The Canadian men are in France’s group for the World Cup, so their path to the next round – and perhaps all the way to Olympic qualification – may have just gotten easier. The top two teams from the group, which also includes Latvia and Lebanon, advance to a second group stage match, with eight teams advancing to the quarter-finals.

For the Canadian men to secure their first Olympic place at the World Cup since 2000, they must finish as one of the top two teams from their region, America. The United States is pretty much a lock for one of those places. But with a roster full of NBA talent, there’s no reason Canada can’t get the other one.

Canadian NBA stars Jamal Murray (the second best player on the Denver Nuggets team that just won the championship) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (fifth in MVP voting and fourth in scoring this season with 31.4 points per game) game for Oklahoma City) have pledged to the World Cup team, along with OKC’s Lu Dort and the Knicks’ RJ Barrett. Andrew Wiggins (arguably the second best player on Golden State’s title team last year) isn’t, but there’s still time for him to join.

Other notable NBA players on the roster include Indiana Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, who averaged nearly 17 points as a rookie this season; gritty wing Dillon Brooks; and veteran big men Kelly Olynyk and Dwight Powell. Seven-foot-4 giant Zach Edey, the reigning NCAA Player of the Year, has also committed.

The World Cup starts on August 25 with matches in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. The knockout stage, culminating in the final on September 10, will be played in the Manila metro area. Read this story from CBC Sports’ Myles Dichter to learn more about what’s in store for Canadian basketball this summer, including an Olympic qualifier for the women’s national team.