NBA star Wembanyama to French students: ‘I hear you’

What the report says

French basketball star Victor Wembanyama, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs, voiced support on Thursday for teenagers in France protesting school conditions, according to Al Jazeera’s report from Reuters. Speaking at a news conference, he said he understood the students’ complaints and wanted to stand with them as they pressed for better treatment in state schools.

Al Jazeera reported that France’s Interior Ministry said 71,500 people joined the day’s demonstrations, including 24,500 at the main march in Paris near Place de la Bastille. Wembanyama described the grievances as deeper, structural inequalities and said he hoped others across the country would back the students as well.

The 2026 NBA star also said the issue felt personal because he attended high school in Nanterre, an area he described as long familiar with student blockades. He said he had once been in a similar position and had been fortunate to move beyond the system’s problems. He had earlier responded on Instagram to a fan’s request that he join the protest, saying he would like to do so.

The protests began last month in high schools in the northern suburbs of Paris and later broadened into a wider movement criticizing inequality, weak public spending and deteriorating school standards. The episode shows how education complaints have become part of a larger debate in France over public services and social fairness.