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This Thursday evening, the fourth edition of the NBA Paris Games begins at the Accor Arena between Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs and Tyrese Haliburton’s Pacers. Follow the match live.
7:50 p.m. – Two French speakers among the Pacers
If there are two French players among the Spurs, the Canadian Benedict Mathurin and the Cameroonian Pascal Siakam are in the Indiana Pacers squad.
19:49 – More stars are arriving
The basketball player Nadir Hifi arrives, as does the 1998 world champion and basketball fan, Robert Pirès. One of the best American basketball players, Sabrina Ionescu has also just arrived at the edge of the court. The Olympic gold medalist was already there last year.
19:47 – Wembanyama acclaimed!
Less than a quarter of an hour from the NBA Paris Games, Victor Wembanyama enters the floor of the Accor Arena, receiving a standing ovation from the spectators present.
7:45 p.m. – VIPs in number at the Accor Arena
The stars parade on the red carpet of the Accor Arena: Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon, actors François Civil and Omar Sy, Spanish footballers Rodri, Pedri and Ferran Torres. Former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin is also present. NBA legends also arrived, like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Joackim Noah.
7:40 p.m. – Another Frenchie on the floor
Drafted the same year as Victor Wembanyama, Sidy Cissoko is also part of the San Antonio squad. Although he does not have a lot of playing time, the Frenchman could take the floor of the Accor Arena this evening.
19:35 – “Wemby”, league leader!
22nd best scorer in the NBA regular season, Victor Wembanyama is the 9th best rebounder in the league. However, he largely dominates the counter rankings with 3.7 units per match. Thanks to his height of 2m24 and his amplitude of 2m43, the tricolor prodigy regularly puts opposing players in check.
19:32 – Praises from Adam Silver
Present at the Accor Arena, NBA boss Adam Silver did not hide his satisfaction about Victor Wembanyama: “Victor exceeded my expectations. Through his basketball, but also his relationship with the fans. He is focused on defense, this is not the case for everyone… Some No. 1 in the Draft have disappointed, but there have never been any doubts about his personality, his player profile, his ethics of work, even when he played for the Mets.
7:30 p.m. – A gala poster available in clear text!
Holder of TV rights for the NBA Paris Games, Canal+ will broadcast the two posters unencrypted.
19:25 – An unforgettable moment
A true showman on the floor, Obi Toppin pleased a young Pacers fan during the warm-up.
7:20 p.m. – The stars arrive
While French basketball legend Boris Dias arrived on the floor, astronaut Thomas Pesquet also arrived in the Parisian room.
19:17 – Wemby enters the floor!
Although he is playing the NBA Paris Games at home, Victor Wembanyama has not changed his routine. After a shooting session this morning, the Frenchman remained in his bubble before arriving at the Accor Arena. The prodigy has just arrived on the floor, almost forty minutes before kick-off.
19:15 – Update on the ranking
At mid-season, the San Antonio Spurs are 12th in the NBA’s Western Conference and find themselves in the race for the play-in, the roadblock to the playoffs at the end of the season. For their part, the Pacers are the team of the moment and are fifth in the Eastern Conference, dominated by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
-19:10 – Two defeats in ten matches
On the Pacers side, morale is high. If they lost at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks, Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates have won eight of their last ten posters.
19:05 – Paris, a step to get back on the path to victory?
Chosen by Adam Silver to play the NBA Paris Games with the Indiana Pacers, the San Antonio Spurs did not arrive in Paris in the right conditions. The Texan franchise has lost six times in the last seven NBA meetings. In the French capital, Victor Wembanyama and his partners can get back on the path to victory and get back into the race for the playoffs.
19:00 – How many points will “Wemby” score?
While the NBA Paris Games will begin in an hour, NBA legends have predicted the number of points scored by Victor Wembanyama at the Accor Arena.
18:50 – A basketball star hopes to see the Lebrun brothers!
Returning to Paris after his coronation at the 2024 Olympics, Tyrese Haliburton recalled his admiration for the Lebrun brothers in table tennis and hopes to see them this evening at the Accor Arena. “It’s funny, I was just talking about it with my partners and telling them how good they are. I was wondering if I was going to see them here. It was very cool at the Olympics to see other sports. The Lebrun brothers were incredible.” The NBA star took the opportunity to praise the atmosphere of the Olympics: “The atmosphere set by the French public was fantastic. The song “Free from desire” by Gala joined my playlist after the Olympics (smile). “I can’t wait to see what the atmosphere will be like on Thursday, the crowds probably won’t be for the Pacers, but I’m very excited to be a part of this event.” During the Olympic Games, the playmaker tweeted: “The Lebrun brothers are electric”.
18:40 – The jerseys are ready
Less than 1h30 before kickoff of the first match of the NBA Paris Games, the locker rooms are ready:
18:30 – Spurs deprived of their legendary coach
Victim of a stroke on November 13, 2024, the legendary coach of the San Antonio Spurs is missing in this trip of the Texan franchise to Paris. On the sidelines of training in the capital, Spurs general manager RC Buford gave reassuring news from “Pop”: “I can’t really talk about Popovich but he’s taking care of himself, he’s progressing every week. We don’t know not when but his return is expected.”
6:20 p.m. – Mandatory passage to the Eiffel Tower
While the Spurs and the Pacers will play the 14th and 15th NBA games in Paris, Tyrese Haliburton and his teammates took a detour to the Iron Lady.
In history, the biggest stars of the NBA have visited the Eiffel Tower during their visit to the capital.
18:10 – Chris Paul, first on the floor
For his 20th year in the NBA, Chris Paul has already arrived on the floor of the Accor Arena to train.
18:00 – Five months later, Wembanyama back in France
In two hours, Victor Wembanyama will play his first match at the Accor Arena since the final of the 2024 Olympics, lost in pain against the United States (98-87) where the Frenchman’s tears did not go unnoticed. Asked about his return to Bercy by our colleagues from TF1 on the 8 p.m. news, “Wemby” confided that he was very happy to set foot in the Parisian hall again: “There are still some decorations from the Olympic Games in the corridors of the hall, that It’s a pleasure to come back here, not only after the Olympics but the other times I played here before. It’s a venue that is close to my heart. It’s very important to have a good performance. sequence of two matches and you have to be concentrated, come in with a state of mind where you don’t think two matches in advance, but just the next one. The context is incredible for me, but my responsibility is with my team and. of my coaches. I am fully focused on tactics.
17:55 – It’s the Pacers’ turn!
After the Spurs, the Indiana Pacers arrive in turn at the Accor Arena.
