The French men's national basketball team will leave the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup empty-handed.
Currently ranked as the fifth-best national team in the world, France suffered a narrow 88-86 upset loss at the hands of Latvia on Sunday in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The defeat officially eliminated Les Bleus from medal contention in the international tournament. They were previously decimated in their opener against Canada last Friday, 95-65.
France has been one of the most consistent national teams in international basketball competitions for the past few years, finishing with a silver medal in the 2022 EuroBasket and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and a bronze in the previous edition of the FIBA World Cup in 2019.
France even defeated Team USA in their group stage game in the Olympics, while they only lost the gold medal by five points.
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Nicolas Batum was scared to go home due to shame
Captain Nicolas Batum admitted that they disappointed many people with their worst-ever finish in FIBA World Cup history.
"I've never been ashamed with this jersey, but this is the first time I'm ashamed. I'm scared to go home because we let a lot of people down. A lot of people believed in us to do something special. We didn't do it," the Los Angeles Clippers forward said.
France will have a shot at redemption next year at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris.
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