Georgia made history at EuroBasket 2025 by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in tournament history.
They achieved this milestone by stunning one of the favorites, France, with an impressive 80-70 victory.
The result shocked observers considering France’s superior talent on paper.
France’s roster featured several NBA players including Guerschon Yabusele, Zaccharie Risacher, and Bilal Coulibaly, though superstar Victor Wembanyama was notably absent.
Mamukelashvili’s confident message to former Spurs teammate Wembanyama
Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamukelashvili delivered the standout performance for Georgia with 14 points and made a bold statement about his team’s capabilities.
The big man expressed confidence that Georgia could have defeated France even with Wembanyama in the lineup.
“Right now, I can text Victor Wembanyama and tell him that we just beat France. Too bad he wasn’t here, because we would have beaten them with him too,” Mamukelashvili declared.
Mamukelashvili and Wembanyama were teammates with the San Antonio Spurs for the past two seasons.
During his most recent campaign, Mamukelashvili averaged 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game while shooting 37.3% from three-point range.
His familiarity with Wembanyama’s game through their Spurs partnership adds weight to his confident assessment of the potential matchup.
Georgia’s composed approach overcomes favorite status pressure
Mamukelashvili revealed the mental approach that enabled Georgia’s historic upset victory.
He emphasized his team’s calm demeanor despite facing heavy tournament favorites.
“They were the favorite to win. We came out so poised, so locked in. I feel like people come out agitated against teams like this,” Mamukelashvili explained.
“But we were just, no pressure. We came out, played our basketball, believed in each other for 40 minutes, and we got the dub.”
EuroBasket 2025 has produced multiple surprises, with Nikola Jokic’s Serbia eliminated early while Luka Doncic’s Slovenia advanced further than expected.
These upsets validate Mamukelashvili’s belief that Georgia could compete with any opponent, regardless of star power.
