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Par Mathieu Seguin | Rédacteur sport
A new blow darkens the summer for French basketball. While Euro 2025 was supposed to mark a strong comeback for the French team after the Olympic disappointment, Rudy Gobert has withdrawn from the project. The announcement, coming straight from Minneapolis, leaves a bitter taste and already raises many questions. Behind the scenes, other issues are emerging: a turbulent NBA offseason and a potential blockbuster trade.
Rudy Gobert has officially declared himself unavailable for Euro 2025. The center, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, prefers to focus on preparing for the upcoming season with the Timberwolves. After a difficult end to the 2024-25 campaign, marked by criticism and trade rumors, the French player knows he must arrive at training camp in top shape to consolidate his status… or attract a new suitor.
RMC Sport explains:
“According to those close to him, as told to RMC Sport, his decision was made a few days ago and announced this week during a discussion with Boris Diaw, the manager of the French team. Rudy Gobert made this choice to work all summer and best prepare for his next NBA season with the Wolves.”
Gobert will not play at the Euro
In Minneapolis, the situation remains unclear. The Wolves are still discussing a potential trade involving Kevin Durant, a deal in which Gobert could play a key role. Phoenix would demand an impactful big man in exchange for their star, and Gobert’s salary fits perfectly into the necessary financial structure. So far, no offer has been finalized, but the very possibility of such a move surely weighed on the center’s decision.
For the French national team, the loss is major: after the venous thrombosis that will likely keep Victor Wembanyama out of the European Championship, the team is now without its two giants. The frontcourt will have to be rebuilt around less experienced players while hoping for the rise of young talents like Alex Sarr.
This withdrawal also reignites the debate about managing schedules between the NBA and FIBA competitions. More and more key players are choosing to preserve their bodies for the North American season, even if it means missing international tournaments. This dilemma is well known to France and could become recurrent ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
The French team must now turn the page and prepare for the Euro without their twin towers. It’s a challenging mission, but not impossible, in which the emergence of a new interior leader will be crucial. The summer will therefore leave a bitter taste for French fans, while across the Atlantic, the domino effect of a possible Durant-Gobert trade could reshuffle all the cards before the draft.
