Before the Spurs drafted Wembanyama No. 1 in 2023, they selected a Frenchman named Tony Parker with the No. 28 pick in 2001.

Wembanyama was born and raised in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, a western Paris suburb, and has made it a focus this week to introduce his teammates to Parisian culture and the life he led before he became the NBA Rookie of the Year and likely next face of the league.

The main events start Thursday when Wembanyama and the Spurs take on the Indiana Pacers in the first of two games in Paris. The rematch is Saturday, both happening at Accor Arena, the same building where Wembanyama played in the knockout round of the Paris Olympics last summer when he and France wound up losing to the U.S. in the gold-medal game.

A group of Wembanyama’s former coaches, teammates and trainers greeted him and the Spurs at Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez on Monday.

Victor Wembanyama is back in Paris with the the Spurs for the NBA Paris Games 2025. 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.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama wears a t-shirt in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. as he warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky) NANTERRE,

The Indiana Pacers arrived in Paris this week for a pair of games against the San Antonio Spurs. This marks the first time the NBA will play two regular-season games in the French capital in the same season.