Double DPOY! Hello, Victor Wembanyama! It's been two years since you last played for the national team.

The French men's basketball team has unveiled its 15-player squad for the World Cup qualifiers, listed below:

Ayayi, Bouteil, Fournier, Francisco, Gobert, Hifi, Hoard, Kabaro, Noah, Okobo, Pons, Renault, Strazel, Tape, and Wembanyama.

According to the schedule, the French team will play two games against Serbia on August 20 and 23, then face Slovenia on August 27, and Sweden on August 30.

Wembanyama (unanimous DPOY) plus Gobert (4-time DPOY) — two world-class defensive anchors — taking on the modern basketball GOAT Nikola Jokic. A blockbuster showdown is on the horizon.

Too bad Luka Doncic, due to custody battles over his daughter this summer, won't represent Slovenia in any competitions. Otherwise, we would have seen him turn into a FIBA super-weapon once again.

Back to the point: Wembanyama last played for the French team during the 2024 Paris Olympics, right after his rookie NBA season. In that tournament, he averaged just under 30 minutes per game, posting 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2 steals, and 1.7 blocks, with a 20.8 efficiency rating. He led the team to a silver medal, made the All-Tournament Team, and won the Rising Star award.

Now, Wembanyama is undoubtedly stronger than he was two years ago. Last season with the Spurs, he averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1 steal, and 3.1 blocks per game in the regular season, shooting 51.2% from the field, 34.9% from three, and 82.7% from the free-throw line.

In the playoffs this year, he averaged 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1 steal, and 3.5 blocks per game, leading his team to the Finals. His shooting percentages were 48.5% from the field, 34.2% from three, and 84.7% from the line.

It's worth noting that since starting his professional career in 2019, Wembanyama has finished as runner-up multiple times: the 2019 U16 European Championship silver medal, 2021 U19 World Cup silver medal, 2023 French League runner-up, 2024 Olympic silver medal, 2025 NBA In-Season Tournament runner-up, and 2026 NBA Finals runner-up.

Maybe he should change his name to "Wembanyama, the Runner-Up King" — just kidding, with a doge face.

Anyway, the taste of being "perennial second-place" really stings,

but considering Wembanyama is only 22 years old, he has plenty of time and opportunities to eventually reach the top.