​It’s the NBA offseason, but European players like San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama are still actively playing competitive basketball. Wembanyama is with the French men’s national basketball team for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. They are set to play their first game of the tournament on Thursday and face the Slovenian men’s national basketball team.However, Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Doncic opted not to play for the national team this summer. The six-time NBA All-Star wanted to spend the offseason with his two daughters and recover from the Grade 2 left hamstring strain he suffered late in the 2025-26 season. Slovenia is missing Doncic’s production, given that he’s their best player.Ahead of the matchup, Wembanyama shared his thoughts on Doncic missing out on the competition.Jul 30, 2024; Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France; France power forward Victor Wembanyama (32) celebrates after defeating Japan in men’s basketball group B play during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports“It’s true that I’m a little disappointed that Luka won’t be there, but I’ll have another chance to face him later in my career. You have to accept the games and the lineups as they are,” Wembanyama said.Although Victor Wembanyama and France will face a Doncic-less Slovenia team, they remain focused on the current task at hand.“Everyone wants titles, so that comes before everything else. The World Cup is important because it’s an international competition that we’ve never won, and it also serves as a qualification for the Olympic Games. With the national team, we’re talking about a project that’s been going on for decades and I want to make an impact on it.”After their game against Slovenia, France will face Sweden on Saturday.Victor Wembanyama Feels “Confident” as France’s New CaptainVictor Wembanyama and France faced Nikola Jokic and the Serbian men’s national basketball team twice. Both national teams played exhibition games to get into rhythm before the start of the qualifiers. During that time, Wembanyama was named the new team captain of the French team.Ahead of the real competition, Wembanyama expressed his thoughts on taking on a new responsibility.“I’m confident in who I am, in what I can bring to a team – on the court, obviously, and in terms of philosophy,” the Spurs star said.“For me, it’s a project that isn’t counted in years but in decades with the France team. It’s something that will happen over time, and it’s important not to skip steps and, every day, to be as close as possible to the person you’re meant to be. So every time I’m with this France team, I’ll try to be as close as I can to the captain I’m going to be.”Wembanyama is now part of an exclusive list of French players who became captain. Notable players include Tony Parker, Rudy Gobert, Boris Diaw and Nicolas Batum.