Victor Vembanyama and Maxime Reynaud have not met since U15!
De’Aaron Fox’s reunion with his former Sacramento teammates wasn’t the only interest in this one duel between Spurs and Kings since for the French it was also an opportunity to witness the first duel between Victor Vembanyama etc Maxime Raynaud.
Both came through Nanterre when they were younger, experienced very different trajectories to finally meet, face to face, at the break, and in the end, each finished with a double-double.
“The last time we met was in 2018, in the final of the French U15 Championship. So it’s back up!” confides “Wemba” to the American press. “I know him well. I would like to be in the same team as him. When I see his performances, I have a lot of confidence. He has had opportunities and he has taken them all so far. It is a great start to my career and I can’t wait to see what happens next. I consider myself very lucky to have him in the conference.”
Who is the best at chess?
Victor Vembanyama found his friend amazing in his power and shared details about their friendship. “I’ve known Maxim forever. He’s like a brother to me. So it’s not a big brother thing. He’s older than me. In France he played in categories above me. So obviously I’m not his older brother. But he’s really like a brother to me.”
And why did they become so close, so quickly? “It’s a matter of personality. Maxim is extremely brilliant, one of the most brilliant and interesting people I know. He’s a very good friend.”
So brilliant that it would dominate him in chess… “He likes to repeat it to everyone” he smiles Wemby. “Maybe he’s a little better than me, but did he beat me? No, I don’t think so. We only played once, I think.”
2026-02-22 08:28:00
