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.

The teams will play at the Accor Arena in Bercy, south-eastern Paris, in front of a sell-out crowd of 18,000 people.

The Spurs stand 12th in the Western Conference mid way through the 2024/2025 campaign while the Pacers lie fifth in the Eastern Conference.

On Monday, shortly after arriving in France, Wembanyama limbered up with his teammates at the Palais des sports Maurice-Thorez in Nanterre, north-western Paris, where he spent his formative years playing for Nanterre 92.

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“Obviously there are lots of emotions coming back here,” said the 21-year-old who turned out for the club between 2014 and 2021 before before moving to ASVEL Lyon-Villurbanne.

“Seeing the town, the club and the people who work at the arena, it has been a real pleasure.

“This trip is my way of giving back a little to the French public, trying to please many people who might never have the chance to go to the United States to see a game.”

Tour

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