Georgia made history at Eurobasket 2025 by reaching the quarterfinals for the first time in tournament history.
They achieved this milestone with one of their favourites, France, with an impressive 80-70 victory.
The results shocked the observers, considering the fact that France’s outstanding talent was placed on paper.
Superstar Victor Wenbanyama was markedly absent on the French roster, but several NBA players appeared, including Gershon Jabsere, Zachary Lissacher and Bilal Cooliverry.
Toronto Raptors forward Sandro Mamkerashvili provided Georgia’s outstanding performance with 14 points and made a bold statement about his team’s capabilities.
The Big Man expressed confidence that Georgia could beat France even with Wenbanyama in the lineup.
“Now I can text Victor Wenbagnama and tell him that he just defeated France. It was a shame he wasn’t here.
Mamukelashvili and Wembanyama have been teammates for the San Antonio Spurs for the past two seasons.
In his latest campaign, Mamukelashvili averaged 6.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game, shooting 37.3% from the 3-point range.
Being familiar with Wenbanyama’s game through the Spurs Partnership adds weight to being evaluated confidently in potential matchups.
Mamukelashvili has revealed a spiritual approach that allows for the victory of Georgia’s historic upset.
He emphasized the team’s calm attitude despite facing tournament favourites.
“They were favourites to win. We were so calm that we were locked up. People feel upset about teams like this,” explained Mamukhelashvili.
“But we were just pressure. We came out, played basketball, trusted each other for 40 minutes and got the dub.”
Eurobasket 2025 has produced multiple surprises. Nikola Dzokic’s Serbia was eliminated early, and Luka Donsic’s Slovenia went even further than expected.
These confusions test Mamkerashvili’s belief that Georgia can compete with any opponent, regardless of star power.