Élodie de Fautereau is a former French professional basketball player and longtime youth coach, best known as the mother of San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Long before the 2023 NBA Draft turned her son into a global name, she was the coach who introduced him to the game in the Paris suburbs, where the family still has deep roots.
A Family Where Basketball Came First
Élodie de Fautereau comes from a family that played the sport across generations. Her father, Michel de Fautereau, played in France’s top division for Paris University Club during the 1960s, according to reporting that has followed the Wembanyama family since her son’s rise. Her mother, Marie-Christine, also played basketball.
That background matters because it shapes how the family describes its relationship with the game. Basketball was not something that arrived in the household because of Victor’s height. It was already part of daily life, passed from Élodie’s parents to her and then to her children. Victor became, in effect, a third-generation player in France.
Élodie raised her three children in Le Chesnay, a town in the Paris region west of the capital. Victor was born there on January 4, 2004. Many profiles describe the area around Le Chesnay and nearby Versailles as the setting for the family’s life and for the start of Victor’s basketball journey.
Her Own Playing Career
Élodie de Fautereau is widely described as a former professional player. Several outlets report that she played at a high level in France and represented the country, and she is listed at roughly 6 feet 3 inches tall, or about 1.91 meters. A few sources give slightly different heights, so that figure is best treated as approximate.
Public detail about her playing years is limited. Reliable sources agree on the broad picture: she was a competitive player who later moved into coaching. Specific club histories, contract details and statistics are not consistently documented in the reputable coverage, so they are left out here rather than guessed at.
Becoming a Youth Coach
After her playing days, Élodie stayed in the sport as a coach for young players. She has worked with beginners and young children, and Victor has described her work in simple terms. In a 2022 interview with the EuroLeague’s official website, he said she teaches basketball to players roughly between the ages of four and ten.
Her coaching base was in the Le Chesnay and Versailles area. Victor first played for Entente Le Chesnay Versailles at age seven, a club connected to the local basketball community where his mother coached young players. Reports from people around the club recall that her three children were usually close by while she worked, surrounded by the game from an early age.
Her coaching has also touched the wider Wembanyama circle. Victor’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye of Comsport, has a longtime relationship with the family. His son was coached by Élodie from an early age, according to profiles of the agent’s role in Victor’s career. That relationship eventually grew into a professional partnership: Ndiaye advised Victor from the time he was 15 and signed him as a client in 2022.
How She Introduced Victor to Basketball
Victor did not start out as a basketball-only kid. He played soccer, mainly as a goalkeeper, and practiced judo before settling on basketball. His mother is the person most often credited with guiding him toward the sport, and he learned the fundamentals from her while she coached youth teams.
Victor has been clear that this was not a formal training program. He told EuroLeague that, as far as performance goes, he never trained with her. Basketball was simply the environment he grew up in, and he has said he always had the freedom to play or not play. Another comment from that period, published by SLAM in 2022, offers a glimpse of her personality. Victor said the two of them look alike and that she can be a little eccentric at times.
That balance has become one of the most repeated points about Élodie. She taught the basics when he was small, then stepped back as his career moved into professional environments. Reports about their relationship describe her as supportive without trying to direct his basketball decisions.
Félix Wembanyama and the Siblings
Victor’s father, Félix Wembanyama, was born in Belgium and is of Congolese origin. He competed in track and field, with events including the high jump, long jump and triple jump. French records show that he acquired French nationality through naturalization on February 10, 2003. He is reported to stand about 6 feet 6 inches tall.
Victor has an older sister, Ève, who plays basketball professionally in France, and a younger brother, Oscar, who has played basketball and handball at the youth level. Some outlets also report that Oscar has won a junior national title with Nanterre 92, the club where Victor spent part of his own youth career. Together, the family is often described as one of the most athletic households in French sport.
Her Son’s Rise
Victor joined the youth system of Nanterre 92 at age 10 and made his professional debut in 2019 at age 15. He later played for ASVEL and Metropolitans 92 before entering the NBA. On June 22, 2023, the San Antonio Spurs selected him first overall in the NBA Draft, making him the first French player taken with the top pick.
Élodie and the rest of the family were there to support him. Photographs from the 2023 draft show Victor with his parents, his sister Ève and his brother Oscar. For a coach who had spent years teaching children the basics, it was a remarkable moment.
His professional career has moved quickly since then. He was named the unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year in May 2024 and helped France win a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In the 2025–26 season, he became the first unanimous winner of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award and led the Spurs to the 2026 NBA Finals, where they lost to the New York Knicks.
Élodie has remained a visible presence at some of his off-court projects. She appeared with him at Hoop Gambit, the chess and basketball event he organized in Le Chesnay in the summer of 2025.
Her Role in Victor’s Success
Élodie de Fautereau rarely gives interviews, so much of what the public knows about her comes from how her son talks about her and from reporting on the family. What emerges is consistent. She is a former player who understood the sport, a coach who taught him the basics, and a parent who allowed him to choose his own direction.
Victor has said that she knows her role, meaning she does not interfere with his professional development. That approach appears to have worked. Rather than pushing him toward a career, she created an environment in which the game was always available, and he could decide how far to take it.
Conclusion
Élodie de Fautereau’s story is closely tied to her son’s, but it is more than a footnote. She is a former professional player from a three-generation basketball family, a youth coach in Le Chesnay, and the person credited with first introducing Victor Wembanyama to the game.
Much of her private life remains outside the public record, and responsible coverage should leave those gaps unfilled. What can be said with confidence is that her influence began on small gym floors with young players, long before arenas filled with fans of the Spurs and the French national team.
FAQs
Who is Elodie de Fautereau?
Élodie de Fautereau is a former French professional basketball player and youth coach. She is best known as the mother of NBA star Victor Wembanyama and is credited with introducing him to basketball.
Is Elodie de Fautereau married to Félix Wembanyama?
Reputable sources identify Félix Wembanyama as Victor’s father, and the two are consistently described as his parents. Reliable public reporting on their marital status or current relationship is limited, so it cannot be confirmed here.
How tall is Elodie de Fautereau?
She is generally listed at about 6 feet 3 inches, or roughly 1.91 meters. A small number of sources report slightly different figures, so the number is approximate.
How many children does Elodie de Fautereau have?
She has three children: Ève, who plays professional basketball in France; Victor, the San Antonio Spurs center; and Oscar, who has played basketball and handball at the youth level.
Did Elodie de Fautereau coach Victor Wembanyama?
She taught him basketball fundamentals when he was a child while coaching youth teams. Victor has said that for performance training he never worked with her directly.
READ MORE: SNewspaper
