"Paris, we're back... with DOUBLE the action! SpursPacers. January 23 and 25, 2025," the NBA said on its X account, formerly Twitter. The NBA will return to Europewith the showdown in three days between the San Antonio Spurs and the Inidana Pacers. Wemby', as the 2.24m French giant is nicknamed, will headline the line-up and will be the focus of attention. 

Wembanyama returns home, where he left to play in the NBA and where he wowed to be selected with the number one pick in the 2023 draft by the Pacers. Wembanyama averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocked shots and 1.2 steals per game this season for the Spurs, who finished 22-60, second-worst in the West. 

His team's numbers are far from good, having not made the playoffs since 2019 and not won a playoff series since 2017. Regular season games will mark the fourth edition of the NBA Games in Paris, with the Cleveland Cavaliers defeating the Brooklyn Nets 111-102 last season.

Chicago beat Detroit in 2023 and Milwaukee defeated Charlotte in 2020 in previous NBA visits to France. According to local media reports, these will not be the only games played in Paris. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, two more regular season games will also be played: Bulls-Pistons and Nets-Cavaliers. 

What is not yet known is where the games will be played. The most likely venue is the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy, due to its high capacity. For the Spurs, it will be the second time they visit France. They did it once before in 2006, while for the Pacers it will be their first.Wembanyama will return home this summer to represent France at the Olympic Games. 

Wemby' is a symbol and one of the most charismatic players of recent years in his country. The Alienigena, as the French talent has also been dubbed, is leading his team, Spurs, out of a poor run of results in recent seasons. He started playing football in his home country and even took up judo, but soon turned to basketball with the support of his mother, who also played basketball. 

He was a very fast starter and was international in the junior categories of the French national team, playing in the U16 EuroBasket in Italy 2019, where they won silver, and the U19 World Cup in Latvia 2021, where they also won silver, losing the final to the United States.  

On 11 November 2022, at the age of 18, he made his debut for France's senior national team in a 2023 World Cup qualifier against Lithuania. Two years later he was already the number one NBA draft pick and playing for the Pacers.