Victor Wembanyama impressed the San Antonio Spurs to a 140-110 victory towards the Indiana Pacers at Accor Area in Paris.
Within the first of two regular-season NBA video games performed in Paris this week, the Spurs ripped up the shape guide courtesy of France’s Wembanyama, who scored a game-high 30 factors.
Wembanyama, 21, performed for Paris-based Metropolitans 92 earlier than being chosen because the primary total decide within the 2023 NBA Draft by the Spurs.
He was taking part in in his homeland for the primary time since successful a silver medal on the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It’s the fourth yr that the NBA has staged regular-season matches in Paris, with the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Brooklyn Nets in 2024.
As is commonly the case when the NBA takes to the street in Europe, loads of high-profile faces turned out to look at, together with injured Manchester Metropolis midfielder Rodri, Paris-St Germain’s Achraf Hakimi, Ousmane Dembele and Presnel Kimpembe and Barcelona trio Pedri, Ferran Torres and Eric Garcia.
Former France worldwide footballers Robert Pires and Djibril Cisse and UFC fighter Ciryl Gane had been additionally in attendance alongside former French Prime Ministers Gabriel Attal and Lionel Jospin.
The Spurs had been underdogs going into the encounter after dropping six of their eight video games in 2025, whereas the Pacers stepped on to courtroom with eight victories from 9 because the flip of the yr.
Nonetheless, returning to dwelling soil performed an enormous position as Wembanyama placed on his highest-scoring efficiency in eight video games.
San Antonio’s Devin Vassell additionally chipped in with 25 factors and Harrison Barnes added 20 to halt a three-game dropping streak.
The Spurs, who sit twelfth within the Western Convention, and the Pacers, who’re fifth within the Japanese, meet once more at Accor Area on Saturday (17:00 GMT).