Spurs, Pacers make their way to Paris, for a week where all eyes will be on Victor Wembanyama
NANTERRE, France (AP) — Officially, Indiana will be the home team on the scoreboard when it plays San Antonio in Paris on Thursday.
The Pacers know better. They will not be feeling right at home.
“It’s going to be a big crowd against us, honestly,” Indiana guard Andrew Nembhard said.
He’s not wrong, for one 7-foot-4 reason. The upcoming NBA Paris Games — Indiana vs. San Antonio on Thursday and Saturday, the Pacers being the designated home team for the first matchup and the Spurs getting that distinction for the second game — are essentially going to be a weeklong celebration of France’s own Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio’s reigning NBA rookie of the year who likely will be an All-Star this season for the first time.
In other words, welcome to Wemby Week in Paris.
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.
There have been single games in Paris in each of the last two seasons — Chicago-Detroit in 2023, Brooklyn-Cleveland last year — but this season, it’s a two-game trip and Wembanyama is surely one of the reasons for that.
Ticket demand was off the charts. The games sold out in a day. Some tickets remain as part of packages; for example, a game ticket for Thursday, including a chance to grab a picture with the Larry O’Brien Trophy, will set you back $730. Flight not included, of course.
Then again, not everyone in attendance will have bought their tickets. Wembanyama arranged a treasure hunt for 10 tickets; there were QR codes hidden in five cities — Paris, Lyon, Lille, Marseille and Bordeaux — and he encouraged fans to start hunting.
“I couldn’t come back to the capital without giving you the opportunity to come see me play,” he wrote on social media.
The Spurs are a global brand with deep ties to France that pre-date Wembanyama’s arrival in San Antonio. Tony Parker and Boris Diaw helped the Spurs establish that relationship with France during their years in Spurs colors, and now the interest can be marked in plenty of ways off the court as well. Last week, the Spurs announced a series of events for this week in collaboration with Paris-Saint Germain, one of the world’s most-followed soccer teams.
“We have a long history with France for obvious reasons in many ways. So, it’s just another milestone or opportunity, I think, to probably strengthen that bond or connection,” Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said. “Very cool for Vic. Obviously, he just got done in the Olympics as well.”
France played host to the Paris Games last summer and Wembanyama helped his home nation get to the gold-medal game against the U.S. He was spectacular in the final, scoring 26 points. It wasn’t enough, not with Stephen Curry leading the way with 24 for the Americans — capped by a barrage of four 3-pointers in the final couple of minutes to clinch the gold.
Wembanyama settled for silver that night. The games this week are in the same arena as the Olympic final was. He was asked earlier this season how often he thinks about this trip and getting to play in Paris again.
“All the time,” he said.
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was on that U.S. Olympic team. He knows what that arena felt like and can envision what it’ll be like for Wembanyama’s return this week.
“The game has never seen anybody like him,” Haliburton said.
The Spurs played in Miami on Sunday and lost, then stuck around for a few hours to have some dinner and get their body clocks right for the 8-hour flight from South Florida to France. The Pacers were heading to do some sightseeing after landing Monday, including the Eiffel Tower.
“All that good stuff,” Pacers center Myles Turner said in a video released by the team.
Paris has been waiting. And Wemby will be welcomed back like a conquering hero.
“I think any time anybody gets to play (or) perform back home, especially when that’s not something you do consistently or regularly, it’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Johnson said. “I’m sure there’ll be people at the game that haven’t seen him play in a long time or typically maybe never have. You know, hometown kids get to see you … maybe they’ve never been to an NBA game. So, I know there’s a lot of things, not to speak for him, that I’m sure he’s looking forward to and that are unique in a very, very cool way for him to connect.”
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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed.
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