WASHINGTON — A year ago, Victor Wembanyama gave his childhood friend Bilal Coulibaly a confidence boost when Coulibaly needed it most.
It was relatively early in the 2022-23 season, and Coulibaly had just learned he was going to be called up to play extensively in France’s top professional basketball league. He would play for a club known as Metropolitans 92 and be a teammate of Wembanyama’s.
For the first time, Coulibaly was going to play meaningful games against grown men. It was a huge step, and Coulibaly feared he would not be up for the challenge.
“I was playing with the younger guys, and then guys (on the senior team) got hurt,” Coulibaly recalled during an interview with The Athletic.
“I had to play immediately with the pros. So, I was like, ‘Oh, am I ready?’ I was questioning myself. … It was just a lot of pressure, and I had a tough time.”
That’s when Wembanyama offered support. Sensing that Coulibaly felt stressed before games, Wembanyama tried to put everything into perspective. “It’s a game,” Coulibaly remembered Wembanyama telling him. “You can play. We saw that in practice, and you can do that on the court. You’ve just got to believe in you.”
Coulibaly went on to play so well for Metropolitans 92 that he became a top-level prospect for the 2023 NBA Draft. On the same night the San Antonio Spurs drafted Wembanyama with the first overall pick, the Washington Wizards traded up to snag Coulibaly seventh.
On Saturday night, the two childhood friends and former Metropolitans 92 teammates will play against each other for the first time in the NBA, when Coulibaly’s Wizards host Wembanyama’s Spurs at Capital One Arena.
Coulibaly recalled they met each other when they were about 10 years old and were on the same youth team together when they were 11 or 12.
No wonder, then, that Saturday’s game will be a special moment for both of them.
Victor Wembanyama at the halfway point: The good, the bad and the unbelievable
Speaking to reporters Wednesday in Boston, Wembanyama said that, when he and Coulibaly were in their early teens, they didn’t talk much about one day reaching the NBA. But Wembanyama indicated reaching the NBA was a goal that was always in their thoughts.
“At the time, it was just dreams and something crazy,” Wembanyama said. “But we happened to both make it here, and I’m just so proud of him. It is going to feel weird, for sure.”
Coulibaly has been looking forward to Saturday’s game for weeks, if not months.
“It’s going to be a dream, because we just wanted for each other to go to the league, and now we’re here, and we’re going to play each other,” Coulibaly said. “It’s going to be a fun time for sure.”
The Spurs, careful not to overload their young star, have rested Wembanyama in one game of almost every back-to-back this season. Team officials decided to hold Wembanyama out of tonight’s game in Charlotte but play him Saturday night in Washington — something Wembanyama is thankful for because it allows him to face Coulibaly.
Wembanyama arguably has garnered more attention than any NBA rookie since LeBron James’ rookie year in 2003-04. Wembanyama, who turned 20 earlier this month, has handled the spotlight with uncommon grace and humility.
Bilal Coulibaly has impressed his Washington Wizards coaches and teammates with his poise. (Brett Davis / USA Today)
Coulibaly does not receive the same level of obsessive attention Wembanyama receives. But he, too, has always seemed unfazed by playing in the NBA and from living overseas for the first time. Teammates and coaches have marveled at his poise and his down-to-earth, even-keeled personality.
Playing as a reserve, Wizards have tasked Coulibaly, who is 6-foot-8, with guarding opponents’ best perimeter players, including Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, and also forwards.
For now, the Wizards’ brain trust wants Coulibaly to focus on defense first and generate his shots within the flow of the offense. Because Coulibaly is only 19 years old and has so much to learn, the Wizards want to build his game one piece at a time, without overloading him too much.
He plays significant minutes. In 26 minutes per game, he’s averaging 8.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Eventually, his offensive repertoire and responsibilities on offense will expand. In a sign that he’s taking the right kinds of shots, he has made 47 percent of his shots from the field and 39 percent of his 3-point tries.
One of the reasons Coulibaly’s coaches and teammates think so highly of him is that he openly acknowledges what he perceives as areas of improvement. When he was asked recently to assess his season so far, he lamented that he had allowed too many opponents to drive past him for scoring opportunities.
When Coulibaly’s answer was relayed to Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr., Unseld said those comments illustrated Coulibaly’s character and maturity.
“It’s encouraging,” Unseld said. “It’s one thing to look at it tactically, but it’s another thing to take responsibility when you see it and you feel it. He understands that there are moments when he’s been really good. And can you find ways to be consistently good and not fall into some of those lapses? Some of them are coverage confusion. We want to minimize some of those issues. But I think, in general, he’s done really well. But it gives you insight on who the kid is. He cares about it. He understands the value and the importance of it. And he wants to play perfect.”
Coulibaly has made enormous progress since he started playing regularly for Metropolitans 92 — and Coulibaly was doubting himself, prompting Wembanyama to provide a crucial confidence boost.
When Wembanyama and Coulibaly play against each other Saturday, Wembanyama no doubt will see that his longtime friend is more confident now than he was a year ago.
A reporter recently asked Coulibaly what he’s learned about himself so far as a rookie. His answer was telling.
“That I can play in the league,” Coulibaly responded. “They were saying I’m too young (to play in the NBA). Even my parents were like, ‘Are you sure you want to go to the NBA?’ But, yeah, I can play. I’m really happy about that. That’s what I wanted to do: getting my minutes, getting the confidence of the coach. So, yeah, I’ve done a pretty good job.”
