Wembanyama coming to Paris as San Antonio Spurs to face Indiana Pacers in two NBA games next January

PARIS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama will return to Paris, he hopes as an Olympic champion, when the San Antonio Spurs face the Indiana Pacers in two regular-season NBA games early next year.

The NBA announced Thursday that the teams will play on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25, marking the first time two regular-season games will be held in Paris in the same season.

Wembanyama was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA draft, when the 7-foot-4 Frenchman joined the Spurs from Paris-based team Boulogne-Levallois .

The Spurs are returning to Paris for the first time since 2006, when another Frenchman, Tony Parker, starred for the team as a point guard.

The Pacers are playing their first games in France.

Before that, Wembanyama is expected be one of the stars at the Paris Olympics , where France hopes to win the gold medal for the first time after losing in the final to the United States in Tokyo.

The NBA staged its third regular-season game in Paris on Jan. 11 when the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets 111-102.

__

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games