Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs poses for a portrait during the 2023 NBA rookie photo shoot
Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs poses for a portrait during the 2023 NBA rookie photo shoot
Victor Wembanyama got trolled by his own Team France teammates over his shoe size, and the video is exactly as funny as it sounds.
Nadir Hifi and Matthew Strazel filmed themselves clowning around with his sneakers during the August national team camp.
It is the kind of viral locker room clip that makes even a serious basketball star look human.
What the Video Actually Shows
According to Le Parisien, Hifi and Strazel are seen laughing hysterically while pretending to talk on the phone using one of Wembanyama’s shoes.
Strazel then slides his own foot into a pair and starts shuffling around. The gap at the back of his heel tells the whole story without a single word needed.
The clip surfaced on social media during France’s August gathering, when Wembanyama served as team captain for World Cup qualification matches.
Le Parisien reported the video was shared directly by the players themselves, not leaked or sourced secondhand.
The Numbers Behind the Joke
Wembanyama’s official shoe size is 55, and some models run even larger, according to Le Parisien.
That is paired with a listed height of 2.24 meters, or roughly 7-foot-4, which makes the footwear comedy feel almost inevitable.
Strazel measures 1.84 meters and Hifi checks in at 1.80 meters, modest by NBA standards but plenty for a pair of national team guards.
Close-up of orange Nike basketball shoes with a lime green swoosh and flame patterns on a court.Close-up of orange Nike basketball shoes with a lime green swoosh and flame patterns on a court.
Victor Wembanyama wearing his Nike basketball shoes during a game.
Here is how the size gap breaks down on paper:
Wembanyama: 2.24 meters tall, official shoe size 55
Strazel: 1.84 meters tall, point guard for Anadolu Efes in Turkey
Hifi: 1.80 meters tall, guard for Paris Basketball
That 40-centimeter-plus height gap explains why a single shoe can double as a phone prop in the video.
Numbers like these are exactly why Wembanyama gets compared to basketball’s most physically freakish outliers.
Why This Moment Resonates Beyond the Punchline
This is not just a throwaway gag between teammates. This is a glimpse into how Wembanyama’s teammates genuinely process sharing a locker room with someone built on an entirely different scale.
Strazel and Hifi now play their club basketball in different countries entirely, yet they still react to Wembanyama’s dimensions like awestruck fans when they’re together on the national team.
Wembanyama has drawn similar reactions from fans in person too.
Le Parisien previously reported that spectators in Orleans said he looks even more imposing live than on television, a reaction that lines up with teammates struggling to fit into his gear.
Viral teammate humor like this tends to travel fast precisely because it humanizes a player who otherwise looks like a video game character.
It also fits a broader pattern in basketball where oversized stars become the subject of playful ribbing from teammates.
Fans who enjoyed Dwyane Wade getting roasted over his beard will recognize the same locker room dynamic here, just with footwear instead of facial hair.
What to Watch From Wembanyama and France Next
Wembanyama continues to captain France through international qualification windows, and moments like this tend to resurface whenever cameras catch him around teammates.
Expect more clips comparing his gear to everyone else’s, especially as France’s roster mixes established veterans with younger guards like Strazel and Hifi.
National team camps have become a reliable source of these lighthearted viral moments, similar to how Luka Doncic’s conditioning drew reaction during his own national team stint.
Victor Wembanyama in a white France national team jersey holding a basketball at the Paris 2024 OlympicsVictor Wembanyama in a white France national team jersey holding a basketball at the Paris 2024 Olympics
Victor Wembanyama competes for the France national team during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
For now, the shoe video stands as a fun reminder that even elite professional athletes cannot resist teasing the most physically unique player in the sport.
Wembanyama seems to take it in stride, and that willingness to laugh along is part of what makes him such a compelling figure both on and off the court.
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