It’s no secret that France is on the rise as a basketball powerhouse. While French players have graced the NBA before, it’s clear there has been a marked shift both in how the French system is producing players and how the NBA is discovering that talent. Of course, most point to Victor Wembanyama (pictured above) as the No.1 draft pick in 2023 as a key moment, but the fact that three French players were drafted in the top six last year really turned heads.
Most of us have been conditioned to look at the US system to view the future of the NBA. If you are making your college basketball picks this season, you’ll have come across players like Cooper Flag and Ace Bailey, who look like stars in the making. Yet, the NBA is increasingly looking across the globe for recruitment, and France is at the heart of that.
While it looks like we won’t get another Victor Wembanyama or Zaccharie Risacher as the No. 1 pick this year, there are several French players who look likely to be picked up. Let’s dive in and see some names that could become familiar in the NBA in the years to come
Essengue could be a top-10 pick
As it stands, Noa Essengue is the most likely of all French prospects to be a top-10 pick. The 6ft9 18-year-old power forward is versatile, although somewhat raw. He is currently attached to the German basketball side ULM, but he has been called up to the French national basketball team. One of the youngest players likely to feature in the draft, it’ll be hugely interesting to see how he develops if (and when) he crosses the Atlantic.
Joan Beringer also looks likely to be picked up in the first round. He looks to have a precocious talent (he only started playing basketball in 2021) with a similar ceiling to Essengue. His formative years were spent with SIG Strasbourg, but he moved to Slovenia before the end of 2024. Beringer has mostly played at center, but there is scope for him to adapt to other positions.
A point guard, Nolan Traore has generated a lot of buzz in France over the past couple of years, particularly during his standout performances at the Adidas Next Generation tournament last year. Now playing in LNBA PRO A (the top tier of French basketball) for Saint-Quentin after turning down offers from several US colleges, Traore’s career progression has been flawless so far.
Raynaud has had an intriguing career so far
Maxime Raynaud has had an interesting career trajectory thus far. At 21, he is the oldest player on this list, and he has bounced around different French teams while also joining Stanford. While it might seem a no-brainer to pursue a career in the NBA, the talented center has been vocal about his passion for academia, suggesting he might become an astrophysicist.
A couple of other names that could be of interest are Noah Penda, a big power forward with nous that belies his years. Zacharie Perrin has similar credentials. Finally, Killian Mawaya might not be ready in 2025, but he has a lot of potential