Frederic Weis on France NT, his medals' whereabouts and why he missed out on the NBA dream / News - Basketnews.com
Frederic Weis is a man who looks like an open book. He doesn't try to shy away from addressing situations, as he had to do while playing basketball. A retired center, who won two medals with France national team at the 2000 Sidney Olympics and the 2005 EuroBasket, has been working as a commentator for French TV over the last few years.
France / Schedule
Iran France62-79 France Italy 84-75 France SloveniaThu11:00As far as basketball immortality goes, Weis's major claim to fame was being part of one of the best dunks in the history of the game. During a France-USA game in Sidney, Vince Carter stole a pass and jumped right over Weis, dunking all over him, producing one of the most viral and memorable moments of all time.
The two countries would meet again in the gold-medal game, which the U.S. won. Regardless of being posterized, 20 years later Frederic Weis took to Twitter to suggest that he and Carter recreate the so-called "Dunk of Death" during the 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
That's not all, though. In 2017, Weis participated in a French All-Star Game dunk contest featuring former NBA player D.J. Stephens, who recreated the slam while wearing Weis’s jersey. The retired French center had Carter’s Raptors jersey on his shoulders.
Despite the fact that Weis rarely put up big numbers in scoring and rebounding while playing for six years with Limoges and almost ten in Spain, he was selected by the New York Knicks with the 15th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. Even though the French big had an interest in playing in the NBA, it never panned out for him. There was a series of misunderstandings and coincidences that eventually prevented him from doing so, as he explained in his interview with BasketNews, dismissing the official story that his agent had persuaded him to stay in Europe.
In addition to winning two Korac Cups with Limoges and Unicaja Malaga, Fred Weis also played for the French national team during 1999, 2001, 2005, and 2007 European Basketball Championships and also participated in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.
However, his biggest win came off the court. Having struggled with issues of depression and alcoholism following his son being diagnosed with autism, Weis attempted suicide in 2008 by intentionally overdosing on sleeping pills. After surviving the attempt, he began operating a tobacco shop and bar in Limoges. Now, he works as a television analyst, an occupation that doesn't remotely resemble a normal job, as he explained to BasketNews.
"I'm tired because I'm commenting on the Olympic Games and it's a 12-hour difference between France and Japan. We wake up at 01:00 a.m. and it's kind of difficult. However, I am very happy to sit down, watch basketball, and be paid for it. It's the best job in the world! It's even better than playing basketball because I'm not that tired after the games. I do the commentary and then I can go out with my friends, have dinner, explore the country when it's outside of France. It's amazing. You're not really working, you're enjoying," Weis said with enthusiasm.
Credit Frederic Weis FB page
What's your view on this France team competing in Tokyo?
I think they're a good team, playing good basketball, with some stars and some role players. But they got also lucky to play against Team USA in the first game. Some of their players were not in good shape because they had arrived just one day before the game. But chance is a factor of the business. We played well against them and then we struggled against Italy to advance to the semifinals. So, we can be happy. Nothing bad has happened so far.
Do you think they've got a solid chance of going all the way and winning gold since they're already in the semifinals, having also beaten Team USA? Is it possible to do it again?
First of all, we have to play against Slovenia, which is not only Luka Doncic. They're a real team because they've got really good players around him. He can create for himself and his team, so when you've got shooters, you have the perfect team. Plus, they've got the best rebounder of the competition in Mike Tobey. We have to be very careful about this team. They play and fight together. They're more of a family and less of a team. France must concentrate on Slovenia.
Then, things will be difficult. As we saw against Spain, the U.S. didn't play well in the first half. There was too much one-on-one basketball, like in the NBA. But in the second half, they played together as a team. If the U.S., having so many big stars, play together, they're almost unbeatable.
How can Luka Doncic be stopped? Did Spain show the way to other teams by using box-and-one, combined defenses, double-teams, and letting his teammates make more decisions?
I think the good thing about FIBA basketball is that players can collapse inside. We saw against Spain that Doncic doesn't like that because he needs spacing and passes the ball outside. If you wait for him in the paint, you can draw some offensive fouls and make him turn the ball over. To stop him, you need a plan. But then, you have to guard the shooters as well. You know how to do it, but it's not easy.
France is a team with a lot of size: Gobert, Poirier, Fall. Which are the biggest advantages and the biggest disadvantages of this squad?
The biggest advantage we saw against Italy is that they can destroy you in the paint. If you're not strong enough, they're going to score inside, block shots, take rebounds and make things difficult. But sometimes, when you switch on defense or play pick n' roll against them, it's not that easy. They get slower. Defensively, French bigs can be great, but if you play fast and make them run, it's difficult for them to get back and recover.
Can you draw any comparisons between the 2000 France NT and the current one? How has this group of players evolved through the years?
No, you can't compare these two teams. We were a team with no one playing in the NBA. We were good players, but we all had European experience only. So, we didn't know Team USA as much as they do. It was like playing against stars, people you can't reach. Players of this team face NBA stars every two days. They're not scared of them nor impressed when playing against them.
That particular U.S. squad that you played against in 2000 beat Lithuania by two points in the semifinals and France by 10 in the final. Did you sense back then that international basketball was getting closer to the NBA level?
When you look at the score, you're supposed to think like that. Now, everybody believes that we can do it. NBA is not all about America anymore; it's worldwide basketball. NBA players can be found anywhere. Europe keeps improving and in 10 years, it's going to be very difficult for them to win gold in international competitions.
Were you ever fed up talking about that Vince Carter dunk in 2000? In France, it is known as "the dunk of death". Carter, who was the last one to retire from the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, said he would be puzzled if he ran into you again. If you had the chance to meet him, what would you say to him?
I don't really care about meeting him. I don't know him, I respect him as a player, but he's not my friend. I've only met him twice.
Last October you had an interesting exchange on Twitter with Evan Fournier. You posted a photo from the team that won silver in Sidney 21 years ago and posed several questions, like: "Who remembers, respects or celebrates it? In short, what was it for? A dunk considered superior to a silver medal, even for the French?" Do you feel that you don't receive enough recognition for that accomplishment?
First of all, I don't know where my silver medal is. So, if I can't remember, how can they remember? But sometimes I'm an a**hole. I like the polemic; being the guy that finds that something is not good, who speaks badly. It was 21 years ago, we lost, but we had a good time.
Do you get the impression that the new generation of French players has overshadowed yours?
For the young kids, yes. But when you think about that, you always remember the first team who did it. You don't always need people to say that something was good. Now, I'm a commentator and I feel very proud of the current team of France.
So, I'd better not ask you about the location of the bronze medal that you won in the 2005 EuroBasket.
I don't know where that is, either. But I was proud of that one. To beat Serbia on their home court was great. I was very happy about it. Still, it's memories. You mustn't live in the past.
You recently described Fournier as the perfect leader. Why?
Yes. You see what he's doing in the NBA. He signed a 4-year contract with the Knicks, averaging a lot of points. Every time France needs a scorer, he delivers. He speaks a lot and sometimes I'm not so happy about that. Did you see the Slovenia-Germany game? Luka Doncic is my idol, but sometimes - when he speaks too much - it gets kind of boring. I like trash-talking, but a little bit. Play basketball!
The quarter-finals were also marked by the last international game in the careers of Pau and Marc Gasol and Luis Scola. Pau and Luis were players you got to play against. If you were to describe them and their legacy in one phrase, what would that be?
They had an amazing career and they're amazing persons, as well. I've been lucky to play against them, talk to them and know how they think in life. They're great human beings and maybe that's the key to them being great players also.
Who was the best big guy you've played against?
I've played against so many. I'll tell you the best player. It was Charles Barkley. We had a game in France against his team and I managed to get my jersey signed by him. He's a good guy, funny and strong as hell. In 1999, you were selected by the New York Knicks with the fifteenth pick in the first round of the draft. However, you never signed with the team nor played in the NBA. Jeff Van Gundy did not appear to be supportive of the selection. Then, you declined to sign a rookie contract, being convinced by your agent - who was also a minority owner of Limoges - to return to France. Do you think that your career or your life would have been completely different had you not declined their offer?
First of all, this story is not true. When you're the 15th pick no one says you can't sign, except me. Van Gundy might have been unhappy with my signature, but he would have to accept it.
The story is that my agent at the time did some bad things and had to go to jail. So, my American agent called me to say his wife had passed away. I didn't know what "passed away" means and I told him: "It doesn't matter. Call me anytime you want." He never called me back. That's why I didn't go to the NBA. It was a matter of misunderstanding.
I was really unlucky at the moment. I went to the Summer League with the Knicks and I lost my luggage. I recovered it at the end of the Summer League. So, the Knicks had to give me clothes to practice because I was almost naked.
If I had played in the NBA, my life would have been different, for sure. One year, two, it doesn't matter. It's a different kind of basketball and a different culture, but I don't mind. I played in Spain, Greece and other places - and I'm happy about it.
Credit TwitterWere the Knicks really willing to get you on the team?
Yes, because they drafted me. They say that they called me to join them for the 2000 Summer League, but I didn't receive any calls. I guess they believed in me, at the moment at least.
There's been a lot of athletes going out publicly about how they had to deal with depression. From Kevin Love to Paul George and from Alex Abrines to DeMar DeRozan. Obviously, everyone's story is unique. But how does one enter this dark place and what does it take to come out of it?
It depends on the case. In my case, it was because of my son being diagnosed with autism. I had depression, but because of what was going on in my personal life, not because of basketball. Still... you have to work, be with your family and friends. You got to choose them well because they can definitely help you. If you think about regular workers, we're so lucky to be playing basketball.
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