Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama are set to meet in national-team jerseys Thursday at 2:00 p.m. Eastern in New Belgrade, giving France vs Serbia basketball a rare international spotlight in an 18,000-seat arena. It will be the first time the two stars have faced each other outside the NBA in more than two years.
The matchup is notable not just because of the names involved, but because Jokic and Wembanyama have already played against each other seven times in the NBA. Their most recent meetings came with plenty on the line and offered a preview of how the matchup tends to look when two elite talents share the floor.
What happened the last time Serbia and France played
The last Serbia-France meeting came in the summer of 2024, when Serbia beat France 79-67 in a warmup in Lyon. Jokic finished that game with 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Wembanyama posted 14 points and 10 rebounds. Serbia and France did not meet at the Paris Olympics after that.
The clubs also met twice in the NBA around that stretch. On Jan. 3, 2025, in Wembanyama's 100th game, Jokic went to the Sombor Shuffle on a winner-take-all possession, and San Antonio won. Then on April 4 at Ball Arena, Jokic scored a fifteen-footer over Wembanyama with a minute left in overtime, and Denver won 136-134.
Why this meeting matters now
For Jokic, the game adds another chapter to a remarkable run of production. In April, he became the first player ever to lead the league in rebounds and assists in the same season. The broader statistical picture is even more striking: he is said to lead the 2020s in points, rebounds, assists and steals.
That makes this more than just a friendly. It is a chance to watch two of the sport's most important international players meet again, this time with Serbia and France on their jerseys rather than their NBA teams. The setting in Belgrade gives the matchup an added edge, even if it is still an exhibition rather than an official competition.
And if the recent history is any guide, the margins could be small. Jokic himself once described a key late miss by saying, "I kind of threw it away, and we lost the game," a reminder that this rivalry has already produced a few high-pressure moments.
