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.

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

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