Basketball: “We did not provide the map”, when Emmanuel Macron responds with humor to the improbable error of the NBA during the All Star Game

The scene only lasted a handful of seconds. During the presentation ceremony of the three basketball teams competing in the star match of the prestigious NBA All Star Game, on the night of Sunday to Monday, each selected player was entitled to a special, personalized introduction.

For those of “Team World”, a small map of their country was broadcast on the giant screens of the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Serbia for Nikola Jokic, Slovenia for Luka Doncic…

When Victor Wembanyama’s turn arrived, France appeared… in a strange, baroque, amputated version, with the absence of Alsace and Lorraine on its east coast.

An astonishing hiccup in a precise evening, and in front of millions of viewers, which caused a great controversy on social networks, with some wondering if it was a deliberate act, a simple error.

“Wemby is indeed our French pride! »

The diplomatic incident was not far away… But it was defused with humor in the middle of the day by President Emmanuel Macron. “I want to reassure our neighbors, we did not provide the map. On the other hand, Wemby is indeed our French pride! », replied the Head of State on his social network X (formerly Twitter).

For the record, Emmanuel Macron received Wembanyama at the Élysée Palace in June 2023, a few days in NBA draft history where the native of Chesnay (Yvelines) was called in first position by the Spurs. Which constituted a historic first!

This episode did not prevent the Spurs Frenchie from shining during the NBA All Star evening with great energy and 33 points in 20 minutes and his 8 rebounds.