Throughout its history, France's national basketball team has experienced many ups and downs. The time periods where the national team earned medals have been quite streaky.
In Europe, team France started out as a fierce competitor. The team won five medals at theEuroBasket between 1937 and 1959. 1937:Bronze Medal, 3–2 overall, second in preliminary group, lost semi-final, won bronze medal match 1949:Silver Medal, 5–1 overall, round robin tournament, no playoffs 1951:Bronze Medal; 6–3 overall, second in preliminary group at 3–1, won semi-final group in three-way tie-breaker with 2–1 record, lost semi-final, won bronze medal match 1953:Bronze Medal, 6–4 overall, second in preliminary group at 2–1, second position of four-way tiebreaker for 2nd place in final round with 4–3 record 1959:Bronze Medal, 6–3 overall, second in preliminary group at 3–1, first in semi-final round at 3–0, third in final round with 1–2 record.
Their period of glory on the world stage began in the late 1940s / early 1950s.At the1948 Olympics in London, the France team led byRobert Busnel won an Olympic silver medal, the first Olympic medal in their history. France finished second only to theUnited States.[3]
In the wake of this Olympic medal, France, led by captainAndré Vacheresse won three consecutive medals. Including silver at the EuroBasket in1949, and bronze in1951 and1953 respectively.
The following years were less glorious. France's basketball team seemingly declined gradually, to completely fail to medal at major international competitions during the 1960s and 1970s.
During the 1990s France had their moments to shine, despite some internal struggles and many injuries to key players. At the European championship, the team did not win a medal despite some good performances. The years 1999 and 2000, however, marked a turnaround for French basketball. The team built aroundAntoine Rigaudeau,Tariq Abdul-Wahad,Laurent Sciarra,Jim Bilba, andLaurent Foirest finished in the top 4 at theEuroBasket 1999, which France hosted. Their first loss was in the semi-finals followed by their second loss in the bronze medal match toFR Yugoslavia 74–62, despite some internal problems that disrupted the group of players. In 2000, team France qualified for the2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, full of ambition, which developed the means for major achievement. At the end of their stint in Australia, the selection of coach Jean-Pierre de Vincenzi helped lead the team to thesilver medal, France's first top 3 performance at a major basketball event in 46 years and their first Olympic medal in 52 years.[6]
After the 2000 Olympics, French phenomTony Parker was selected by theSan Antonio Spurs in the2001 NBA draft. However, at theEuroBasket 2001, without Antoine Rigaudeau, who surprisingly decided to retire from the national team, the 19-year-old Parker alone was not enough as France failed to repeat their outstanding performance attained at the 2000 Olympic Games. France lost in the quarter-finals toGermany 77–81 and finished in 6th place overall.[7] During this time, most of France's players cleared their spots for a new generation of players, which were available in abundance as the France Junior national team had won the 2000 junior championship.[8]
Hoping not to repeat the disappointing performance of 2003, France's squad once again saw considerable changes heading intoEuroBasket 2005. Reconstruction of the national team roster was built based on team chemistry instead of big names; Amongst others, Jérôme Moïso and Tariq Abdul-Wahad disappeared from the roster with the newly formed team being built around the three NBA players Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, andMickaël Piétrus as well as the returning national team veteranAntoine Rigaudeau. The new coachClaude Bergeaud, surprisingly also selectedFrédéric Weis, an underachieving player once drafted in the1999 NBA draft, who did not participate in the team's preparation. After a sobering preliminary round, France displayed stunning performances in the knockout stage. First, France eliminatedSerbia and Montenegro on their home court, then the team defeated the 2003 European championLithuania. Heading into their semi-finals match againstGreece, where both sides battled each other throughout with tough defense, France collapsed in the final minute after leading by seven points with 45 seconds remaining in regulation. The devastating loss relegated the national team to the bronze medal match once again. However, unlike 2003 France recovered to win the bronze medal by blowing outSpain 98–68.[10]
At the2006 FIBA World Cup France competed without Tony Parker, who suffered a twisted finger two days before the competition. Because of this, theSan Antonio Spurs, who just signed Parker to a 51 million Euros contract did not allow him to participate. After a preliminary round marked by three wins and two losses, including a shocking defeat at the hands ofLebanon, France beatAngola in the Round of 16 match 68–62 before losing in the quarter-finals against Greece 56–73. Furthermore, two victories in classification matches finally granted the French fifth place.[11]
At theEuroBasket 2007, France fell behind their aspirations again. After a strong preliminary round, the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by eventual championRussia 75–71, then was beaten in the classification matches byCroatia 86–69 andSlovenia 88–74, finishing in eighth place, missing out on theOlympic Games for the second consecutive time. In the following months, the team had to go through the ordeal of qualifications to participate in the nextEuroBasket which was to be held in 2009. In 2008, former national team coach Michel Gomez returned to lead the team, a position he held between 1993 and 1995. But Gomez failed to help France qualify directly for the European Championship, and had to enter a repechage tournament. In August 2009 he was replaced byVincent Collet, coach ofASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne.[12]
Under Collet's direction,Les Bleus grabbed the last ticket to theEuroBasket 2009 by trashingBelgium 92–54 in the final game of the repechage. At the European Championship, France won their first six games of the first two rounds but failed in the quarter-finals against the eventual tournament championSpain. The French ultimately finished in fifth place, a performance which would grant the team the direct qualification for the next two major competitions, the2010 FIBA World Cup and EuroBasket 2011.[13]
Nicolas Batum gave Team France much support to win silver at the EuroBasket 2011.
After a disappointing showing from France during the 2010 FIBA World Cup, where they were knocked out in the Round of 16, the team looked towardEuroBasket 2011 with high expectations after an impressive run in 2009. France was placed intoGroup B, withLatvia as their first opponent. France got off to a slow start to begin the game as they trailed after the first quarter 18–25. Although the team would step it up in the second quarter, to only trail 40–41 at halftime. In the second half, France demonstrated why they were one of the favourites heading into the tournament. As they finished off the game strong and pulled out the win 89–78, behindTony Parker's game high (31 points and 7 assists).[14] In their second match againstIsrael, France never faced any pressure, as they led throughout to an 68–85 victory. Standing with a record of (2–0), next up for France was a date withDirk Nowitzki andGermany. Similar to their first match, France got off to another slow start where the team trailed after the first period. But they rallied back in the second quarter to take a 29–28 halftime lead. France exploded in the third quarter, which gave the national team an 18 point cushion heading into the fourth quarter. This deficit would prove too much to overcome for Germany, as France led by Tony Parker's 32 points on 55% shooting, and six assists moved to (3–0).[15]
Still undefeated, France had another tough test awaiting, withItaly in their way. For three quarters France struggled against the stymie defense of the Italians, where they were down 67–60 heading into the fourth quarter. With Tony Parker having an off shooting night, other team leaders such asBoris Diaw (21 points), andNicolas Batum (20 points) gave the team the lift it needed down the stretch to prevail 84–91.[16] The win also helped France clinch a spot in the second group phase. France having already locked up a spot to advance went up against the undefeatedSerbia in their final match of Group B. In a highly competitive match between these two unbeaten teams, where overtime was needed to determine the winner, France with balanced scoring from six players in double figures handed Serbia their first lost 96–97.[17]
France national team after winning silver medals at theEuroBasket 2011
In the second group phase France won their first two matches againstTurkey, andLithuania, before falling to Spain. The result was enough to book a place into the quarter-finals. There, France battledGreece with a chance to reach the semis on the line. The team eventually escaped with a 64–56 victory. France needing one more win to put themselves in position to play for the title, first had to get pastAndrei Kirilenko andRussia. The two teams played a really close game throughout, but France did just enough to place themselves in prime position to move on.[18]
France reached thefinal of the EuroBasket for the first time since1949, where they were up against Spain. Unfortunately, the team came up short, as Spain repeated as European champions. However, led by the extraordinary performances from the iconic Tony Parker, France proved they would be a threat on the international scene in the future.
The2012 Summer Olympics came and went without much noise made from the French, as the team bowed out in the quarter-finals. Heading toward theEuroBasket 2013, France was eager to flip the script and display the execution needed to make a deep tournament run. However, in their first match at the Euro finals inGroup A, France was defeated by Germany 74–80. The loss quickly refocused the team for their next two matches, againstGreat Britain, and Israel, as they blew out both opponents fairly easily. France went on to also win their next two games in the preliminary phase againstUkraine and Belgium, to finish top of Group A to advance.
During the second group phase France suffered their second loss of the tournament, falling to Lithuania. Although the team turned around in their next match to beatLatvia 102–91, behind big games from centerAlexis Ajinça (25 points and 3 blocks) and Tony Parker's (23 points).[19] With a place in the quarter-finals assured, France managed to drop their third match, this time a 77–65 defeat to Serbia.
In their quarter-finals match France were up against the EuroBasket 2013 hostSlovenia. However, the team dispelled any notion there would be carryover from their prior game, as they prevailed 62–72. The win also set up a EuroBasket 2011 final rematch between Spain. Heading into the semi-finals, France was resolute to make amends for their 2009 and 2011 eliminations. But it was the Spaniards who began this duel with more urgency, as they outplayed the French in the first half to lead 34–20. To begin the third quarter France slowly started cutting into Spain's lead with their defensive tenacity to trail 49–43 going into the fourth quarter. Entering the final period France continued their harassing defensive pressure, which started to wear the Spaniards down. France eventually fought all the way back, to pull even with their nemesis 65–65 to send the game into overtime. In extra time, France did not let this golden opportunity slip away, as they finally pulled ahead to win 72–75.[20] Led once again by Tony Parker and his (32 points), along with the clutch performance fromAntoine Diot, France were heading back to the title game.[21]
Ensuing their emotional win against Spain, France entered thefinal against Lithuania ready to seize the moment and create history. France, after years of coming up short in these situations finally became European champions.[22] Additionally, the stellar play from Tony Parker throughout the tournament earned himselfMVP honors.[23]
Due to their rousing accomplishment at EuroBasket 2013, France qualified for the2014 FIBA World Cup. Although without the services of Tony Parker, other players stepped up to try and fill the void. France was drawn intoGroup A at the finals, which many viewed as the Group of Death. Their first opponent wasBrazil, which resulted in a tightly contested match the French would lose 63–65. Next up for France, was a date with Serbia. France looking to pick up their first win during the finals, battled back and forth with the Serbians until they escaped with a narrow 73–74 victory. Now at a record of (1–1), France easily put awayEgypt in their third match of the group stage before they faced the tournament hosts Spain. There, the team was thoroughly outplayed by the Spanish, who handed France a heavy defeat 88–64. Although the French would rebound to close out the preliminary phase with a win againstIran 81–76.
Entering the Round of 16, waiting for France wasCroatia. The French would get off to a lethargic start, as they trailed the Croatians 7–15 after the first quarter. France would ultimately reverse their fortune in the second, turning up their defense to hold Croatia to just seven points to head into halftime with a one-point lead. Entering the third quarter, France continued to frustrate Croatia on defense, to extend their advantage heading to the fourth. However, Croatia would put up a solid final period to no avail, France would hold on 69–64 to advance. In the quarter-finals, France would once again be paired against a familiar foe, Spain. Although this time around France displayed more resolve against the Spaniards, as they eliminated one of the World Cup favourites comfortably 65–52.[24]
France arrived at the semi-finals confident before their rematch with Serbia. But even after a remarkable 35-point performance fromNicolas Batum, France lost to the eventual tournament runners-up 85–90.[25] After the devastating lost in the semis, France turned around and finished up strong to win a highly competitive bronze medal match against Lithuania 93–95.[26]
France was named as one of four co-hosts forEuroBasket 2015.[27] At the Euro finals, France was aided by the return of EuroBasket 2013 MVP Tony Parker to the national team. With their floor general back in the fold, the French were tabbed as one of the early favourites to win the tournament and repeat. Being placed intoGroup A to begin their title defense, France was tasked withFinland as their first opponent. In front of an exuberant home crowd, France got off to a quick start to possess the lead after the first quarter. The French would continue to feed off this momentum as they extended their advantage heading into halftime up 45–37. Although in the third and fourth quarters Finland mounted a vigorous comeback, to send the match into overtime. However, France would not be denied on their home soil, as they pulled out an emotional 97–87 victory.[28] After the win, France would go on to triumph through their remaining four matches in group play to clinch a place into the Round of 16.
Awaiting France in their next match was Turkey, a game they would cruise to victory 76–53. Their opponent in the quarter-finals was Latvia, who were looking to upset the hosts and advance to the semis. They were ultimately denied that chance 84–70, as France in front of over 22,000 spectators atStade Pierre-Mauroy moved closer to their desired destination.[29] France, needing one more win to put themselves in position to play in the final, were again pitted against rivals Spain. In a classic duel between the two battle-tested sides, it was the Spaniards led byPau Gasol's 40 points and 11 rebounds ending France's hope of repeating. However, with third place still on the line France defeated Serbia 81–68 to come away with the bronze medal.[30]
After going (4–0) during the2016 Olympic Qualifying Tournament, France qualified for the2016 Summer Olympics.[31] Although they only managed to reach the quarter-finals before ceding once again to Spain.[32] After the tournament, French greatTony Parker announced his retirement from the national team, ending an illustrious run withLes Bleurs.[33]
AtEuroBasket 2017, France continued their underwhelming play, as the team was knocked out in the Round of 16 to Germany 84–81. The devastating loss for France was their worst finish at the Euros since 1963.[34]
During the process to qualify for the2019 FIBA World Cup, France went throughEuropean Qualifiers in order to secure a spot. The national team would go on to finish with a (10–2) record during qualifying to clinch their place at the World Cup finals.[35][36]
At the 2019 FIBA World Cup, France entered the tournament looking to continue their strong play the team displayed during the qualifiers. France was slotted intoGroup G to begin their run at the World Cup finals. Their first test was against a familiar foe in Germany, a match that went down to the wire. But behind the heroics of national team starEvan Fournier's (26 points and 10 rebounds) France pulled out a tight 78–74 win.[37] In their final two preliminary group phase matches versusJordan andDominican Republic, France advanced to the second group phase, by trashing their opponents on route to heavy victories.
In France's next encounter, the team were up against Lithuania. France, however, prevailed in a physical clash between the two European heavyweights 78–75, to lockup a spot into the quarter-finals with one match remaining in the second group phase. There, France were pitted againstAustralia. Although even with another strong showing from Evan Fournier, and his (31 points and 6 rebounds) the team fell 98–100.
In the quarter-finals, France had the duty of trying to knock off the favourites of the tournament, the United States. Ultimately led by majestic games from Evan Fournier and big manRudy Gobert, France eliminated the United States 79–89.[38] The win advanced the team into the semi-finals with a date versusArgentina. With the emotional confidence boosting win behind them, France exhibited lackluster urgency in their next match in an 80–66 defeat to the Argentines. The lost for France was their second consecutive ouster in the semis at the World Cup.[39] France would move on to claim the bronze medal, downing Australia in a rematch 67–59.[40]
Heading toward the2020 Summer Olympics, France automatically qualified for the event, through being one of top two European finishers at the prior World Cup. In the opening match of the tournament for France, behind Evan Fournier's team high (28 points), France once again defeated the United States 83–76.[41] After the solid victory, France would make it all the way to the semi-finals to meet the surprise team of the competition to that point, inLuka Dončić andSlovenia. With a place into the gold medal game on the line,Nicolas Batum's game saving block at the buzzer lifted France into the final 90–89.[42] Although in a rematch with the United States, France would have to settle for silver, as the team would lose 82–87.[43]
DuringEuroBasket 2022 qualifying, France made it through with a (4–2) record, to clinch qualification to their 39th appearance to the Euro finals.[44] After losing in their first match ofGroup B to Germany, France moved to (1–1), following a strong victory against rivals Lithuania 73–77.[45] France would go on to win two of their last three group stage matches, to advance into the knockout phase. In theRound of 16, France survived an upset scare in overtime, from a feistyTurkish side 86–87.[46] Entering the quarter-finals, France once again needed overtime to keep their title hopes alive, this time in a win againstItaly 93–85.[47] After cruising pastPoland in the semi-finals, France were back in thefinal of the EuroBasket for first time since 2013. However, the team saw its tournament journey end, falling to Spain 88–76.[48]
EnteringEuropean Qualifiers for the2023 FIBA World Cup, France cruised to qualification after accumulating a (10–2) record to secure their ninth appearance at the World Cup finals.[49] However, the national team was quickly eliminated from the event, following disastrous performances in two out of their three group stage games; which sent France into the classification round to finish the tournament.[50][51]
The following tables summarizes the all-time competitive record for theFrance men's national basketball team, broken down by confederation. Competitive results are inclusive of games in theOlympic Games,FIBA World Cup,EuroBasket, and qualifying campaigns for these competitions. This record excludes the results of international friendlies, along with minor tournaments. France has played competitive games against 75 current and former national teams.