Indiana Pacers Focused On Basketball In Paris, Enjoying Bonding Abroad

INDIANAPOLIS — In late April of 2024, the Indiana Pacers received huge news as they were up 3-1 in their first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks. The team found out that they would be going to Paris for a pair of games against the San Antonio Spurs as a part of the NBA Global Games in January of 2025.

Even with the playoffs in full swing and the franchise one win away from a series victory for the first time in a decade, Pacers center Myles Turner remembers being excited about the announced trip abroad. “I was really excited,” he recalled on Wednesday during a call with reporters. “I was very excited just to have the opportunity to come out here. I’ve never been to Paris before. I’ve been to London, I’ve been to different cities in Italy, but I’ve never actually been to France.”

Turner played for the Pacers in London back in 2017, and then in Mumbai two years later. Basketball, and specifically the Indiana franchise, has taken him all over the world, and now he’s in Paris for the first time in his life. He isn’t alone — many Pacers players are new to the French capital city, including backup center Thomas Bryant. Bryant, who was traded to Indiana in December, was equally excited about going across the Atlantic Ocean.

“I’m very excited to sightsee… it will be nice to see the city a little bit,” Bryant shared before acknowledging that the main objective is the two games against San Antonio.

What will the Paris experience be like for the Indiana Pacers?

Those two thoughts define a unique week for the Pacers. They’re currently in Paris — a city that star forward and French speaker Pascal Siakam called nice and sexy — a popular tourist destination. Many players brought family and/or close friends. The blue and gold have a unique opportunity to explore a city filled with distinctive culture, sights, and food.

But they are there for basketball, and balancing those realities will be challenging. Indiana plays two games in the week-plus they will be in France, but the rest of the days will feature some combination of practice time and sightseeing. “I think you want to enjoy it and have fun. But also, we’ve got to be able to have the job in mind and go out there and get it done. Which for us is getting a couple of wins,” Siakam said.

Adding to the challenge is that the Pacers will be going against Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs star big man and the most popular French player in the world. He will be a massive draw for fans, and both games likely end up feeling like road games for Indiana. But they want to grab victories and keep their momentum rolling — the Pacers are 8-2 in their last 10 games. The goal for them is to avoid any potential disruption caused by the time off and eccentric setting for NBA hoops.

This is about as grand of a road trip as there can be for an NBA team. When travel comes, rosters grow closer. In a place like Paris, that is a must for a group defined by continuity.

Turner shared Wednesday that the team has been to the Eiffel Tower, both during the day and at night. They’ve had multiple dinners together, popped into a fashion week event, participated in multiple individual promotions, saw the Seine River, and much more. It’s a business trip, but the Pacers are using their free time to visit various parts of Paris.

San Antonio is going through the same things, so this could be a unique bonding experience for both franchises. The Pacers brought all three of their two-way contract players, so all 18 members of the roster are in Paris right now.

Beyond the friendships being strengthened in Paris, the Pacers also benefit by expanding their global reach. They are playing somewhere new, and while they will be the less popular team among locals, they will still be seen by countless new observers. The NBA announced on Wednesday that fans from 53 different countries bought tickets to the games. Indiana is expanding its reach.

This is the first time that the NBA has featured two games in France during the same season. Tickets sold out quickly, and the pair of battles will be the 14th and 15th NBA outings ever played in France. For the Pacers, it will be a test — Wembanyama and the Spurs have an inferior record, but they are a tough out and fight hard on both ends.

Wembanyama presents an almost impossible challenge with his size and skill. Bryant called him dynamic. Turner called him special. The Spurs are over 14.5 points per 100 possessions better when the 2023 No. 1 overall pick is on the floor — he’s one of the most impactful players in the NBA.

The challenges for Indiana don’t end there. Despite these games being played in a neutral sight, they will feel more like road games. Thursday’s game counts as a home game on the schedule for Indiana, though. Saturday’s action is technically a road game. Indiana won’t make a trip to San Antonio this season, and vice versa.

Speaking of the schedule, both the Spurs and Pacers have dealt with a challenge on the calendar as a result of the Paris games. Both teams haven’t played since this past weekend and won’t resume play in the United States until Wednesday the 29th. Between events and jet lag acclimations, it made sense for there to be several days before and after the NBA Paris games.

That’s smart for the association to consider when it comes to their product abroad. However, that creates a situation where both the Pacers and Spurs have light schedules for 10 days in the middle of the regular season. The rest of their schedule is condensed as a result — Indiana played their 43rd game of the season this past Saturday, and only the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, and New Orleans Pelicans had played as many games by that date. The Spurs, meanwhile, join the Los Angeles Lakers and Charlotte Hornets as the only teams with over 40 games left on their schedule as of Jan. 23. San Antonio has a more condensed back half of their schedule.

On top of that, both teams have to go through significant physical demands from a rhythm perspective. Paris is six hours ahead of Indianapolis and seven hours ahead of San Antonio — even with smart flight timing (the Pacers flew through the night on Sunday the 19th), that’s a significant time difference. Jet lag causes fatigue. Players get in a routine when it comes to workout timing.

That all gets thrown off while in Paris, and there will be a re-adjustment period when the two teams return. “I’ll keep it a stack, I’m definitely tired,” Turner said Wednesday at about 1:30 p.m. local time. He likened it to a west coast road trip, though this is much more extreme. “It just comes with the territory. I’ve been doing this too long to come up with excuses. I feel like it’s a mental battle. You get over here, you get on the same clock and go back home, go to the west coast, do it all over again.”

The schedule difficulties and potential body clock challenges could have actual impacts on the Pacers’ and Spurs’ seasons. Indiana started slow during this campaign, and San Antonio is currently slumping.

Both groups will try to forget about their record and season to date on Thursday during the first of two games. They’ll do it again Saturday before coming back, and both rosters will hope that they return to their home area with a pair of wins. It won’t be easy, though, and then both teams have to focus on re-acclimating to their typical time zones.

While there are certainly challenges, it’s a terrific opportunity for the Pacers organization, top to bottom. Many staffers made the trip, and the blue and gold are ready to go. They split the season series with the Spurs last year.

“You want to understand that it’s a basketball trip, but enjoy ourselves at the same time,” Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton said. He was with Team USA for the Olympics last season, which was also in Paris. “Food’s good. Fashion sense of people is good… it’s my third time there in six months, I’m going to enjoy it.”

Many players on the blue and gold mentioned the food as something they’re looking forward to in Paris. Now, with a few days of exploring the city in the past, the Pacers are looking forward to winning against San Antonio in a unique setting.