The NBA is playing regular-season basketball in Paris on Thursday for the third time since 2020. Accor Arena, which can fit roughly 15,000 fans for basketball games, is hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets.
Paused in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, the Paris series is back for the second year in a row and once more a staple of the NBA’s international growth plans. Next season, the league could be putting on its most-hyped matchup in Paris yet, as French sensation Victor Wembanyama and his San Antonio Spurs are reportedly being targeted as one team to make the trip abroad. The Spurs have agreed in principle to participate in a Paris game and are already making plans to do so, according to The Athletic.
Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, currently has not only the best-selling NBA jersey in France, but in all of Europe. (In the U.S. and Canada, the 20-year-old sits only behind long-tenured superstars Steph Curry and LeBron James.)
Despite the Spurs owning the NBA’s second-worst record almost halfway through Wembanyama’s rookie season, his presence in the league is drawing more French fans. NBA game viewership in France is up 23% year-over-year, while NBA League Pass subscriptions in the country have gone up 26%.
On Thursday, French fans will get their annual dose of live NBA action in Paris. But next year, should Wemby come to town, there could be pandemonium.
