A group of Wembanyama’s former coaches, teammates and trainers greeted him and the Spurs at Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez on Monday.
Wemby’s first NBA game in France was a smashing success, as he went off for 30 points in the Spurs’ 140-110 win over the Pacers.
The teams arrived in Paris on Monday, with practices and other events scheduled throughout the week and then the games toward the end. The Spurs were coming straight from the airport to a light workout in Nanterre — the place where Wembanyama started his pro career in the French league as a 15-year-old.
Officially, Indiana will be the home team on the scoreboard when it plays San Antonio in Paris. The Pacers know better. They will not be feeling right at home.
The high octane glitz of NBA basketball will descend on Paris on Thursday night as the San Antonio Spurs - who feature the French star Victor Wembanyama - take on the Indiana Pacers in the first of two regular season games.
Victor Wembanyama dunks during a loss to the Heat on Sunday. Wembanyama and the Spurs play the Pacers in Paris on Thursday. NANTERRE, France — Officially, Indiana will be the home team on the scoreboard when it plays San Antonio in Paris on Thursday.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez deployed 1,000 law enforcement officers for Thursday's basketball game between Paris and Maccabi Tel Aviv amid concerns of protests over the war in Gaza, but faced an different type of disruption.
Officially, Indiana will be the home team on the scoreboard when it plays San Antonio in Paris on Thursday. The Pacers know better. The upcoming NBA Paris Games are this
The centerpiece of the Spurs’ trek to Paris has been Tuesday’s sojourn to Le Chesnay, where Wembanyama was on hand as the city cut the ribbon on an outdoor basketball court adjacent to the gym where he took some of his first fledgling jump shots as a kid.
Wembanyama unveiled a gift of sorts to his hometown and the next generation on Tuesday, a pair of outdoor courts — one for 5-on-5 play, the other for 3-on-3 play — that were built to the specifications that he wanted and sketched out himself.
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are in Paris to play two NBA games against the Indiana Pacers, one on Thursday and one on Saturday. It is a homecoming for the 7-foot-4 Frenchman, who has not played a competitive game in his home country since France lost the gold medal game to the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games.