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SAN ANTONIO — It could be a long Thursday for the people of France.
Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and Spurs will tip off Wednesday in the United States at 8:30 p.m. ET, pitting French center Victor Wembanyama against Jalen Brunson & Co.
But for the country to watch its favorite son in the Finals, its natives would have to be up at 2:30 a.m. to do so.
Japan has been a ratings boom for MLB due to Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, with Game 7 of the World Series last year pulling in 9.7 million viewers in Japan. The Game 6 matchup between the Dodgers and Blue Jays averaged 13.1 million viewers on Japan’s broadcaster NHK-G, making it the most-watched World Series game in that country that was aired on a single network.
But the 16-hour time difference allows games to be watched in Japan’s morning hours. This NBA Finals might have a similar effect if France tunes in to watch San Antonio—even with a seven-hour time difference.
Wembanyama’s countrymen appear to be all in on his NBA Finals appearance. French daily news site 20minutes asked in a headline Wednesday: “Victor Wembanyama, an unprecedented talent in basketball history?”
The NBA France account tweeted early Wednesday: “The menu for your favorite time of the year. Rest up (or don’t). Brew the coffee (or don’t). The energy drinks (or don’t). But we’ll be expecting a big crowd starting at 2:30 AM.”
In San Antonio, multiple French media outlets are credentialed to cover the Finals for news organizations across the pond.
Wembanyama is not the first Frenchman to play in the Finals, but he is arguably the most important. Fellow France natives Tony Parker and Boris Diaw were part of the Spurs dynasty along with Tim Duncan, but neither had the star power or global reach Wembanyama has.
Coincidentally, Diaw will be part of Amazon Prime Video’s French coverage of the Finals. The streamer has already incorporated coverage of the Western Conference finals and Finals with the French Open because of Wembanyama and the Spurs’ run.
Historically, France has had only one broadcaster of NBA games in the country in beIN SPORTS. This season it added another, with Prime Video airing games in the country for the first time. The game will also be available on LeaguePass. The Spurs are LeaguePass’s most-watched team in France with a 79% year-over-year increase in viewership, according to the NBA.
The country has a record 19 players in the NBA this season—but none bigger than Wembanyama, both physically and commercially, with the 7-foot-4 center standing above them all.
The NBA’s ratings in the country have been on the rise, especially since Wembanyama entered the league in 2023. And France has proved the time change isn’t a deterrent from watching him play.
Game 7 of the Western Conference finals between the Spurs and Thunder was the most-viewed game in the country this season on Prime Video, according to the NBA, despite tipping off at 1 a.m. local time.
In France, Prime Video will broadcast the games in real time, while beIN SPORTS will air them around midday local time on a tape delay, giving fans two opportunities to watch the games.
The Spurs Christmas Day matchup against the Thunder this season also drew historically well. The game tipped off at 8:30 p.m. in France on beIN SPORTS and is the league’s most-viewed Christmas Day game in the country.
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