Two Wizards Make 16-Man National Team for World Cup Qualifiers

Fans will get a chance to watch a pair of Washington Wizards in action this summer after two were selected to the 16-man roster for their national team.

Both Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly were selected by France to the 16-player squad for a pair of World Cup qualifying matches this summer. Both Wizards players will look to make the final roster, as expected, as France will trim down to its 12 player team through training camp beginning June 22 before the pair of games, first against Belgium on July 3 followed by Finland on July 6.

The pair of Wizards teammates are among several NBA players who were also named to the team alongside Zaccharie Risacher, Maxime Raynaud, Guerschon and Rudy Gobert, along with a handful of players who previously played in the league like Evan Fournier and Frank Ntilikina.

Sarr previously suited up for France after debuting for the junior national team in 2021, helping them win the FIBA U-16 Euro Challenge. He then helped France earn bronze at the 2022 FIBA U-17 World Cup then silver at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup before joining the senior team ahead of EuroBasket 2025.

Coulibaly also suited up for France after making his debut for the U-18 team at the 2022 FIBA Euro Championship when he averaged 7.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and one assist over seven games en route to a fifth place finish. Coulibaly also made the roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics when France drew a silver medal after losing to the United States in the finals in Paris.

France also enters the summer as the fourth-best team in the world behind United States, Germany and Serbia, though whether the pair of Wizards teammates get a chance to also suit back up with San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama still in the NBA postseason is unclear after being left off the 16-man roster.

Coulibaly will also head to the event eligible to ink his rookie extension with the Wizards with the July 1 window marking a chance for the front office to lock down their first of the many young players set the step in what could be contract extensions in each of the next four offseasons for general manager Will Dawkins.

Coulibaly is coming off a season where he started in all 56 games he was available, averaging 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds while shooting 42.5% from the field. The growth of Alex Sarr was arguably the biggest storyline through the first half of the regular season before battling injuries and ultimately last appearing back on March 27 against the Golden State Warriors. He ended the season averaging 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds while averaging two blocks per game in just 48 appearances.

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