What to know as Spurs, Pacers meet in NBA Paris Games 2025

On By Littum

Victor Wembanyama will be the center of attention this week as Spurs and Pacers play 2 games in Paris.

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The San Antonio Spurs (19-22) and Indiana Pacers (24-19) will play in the NBA’s fourth and fifth games of the regular season in Paris, marking the first time the NBA has played two games in the French capital. in the same season.

The homecoming: Victor Wembanyama not only plays center for the Spurs, he is the focal point of the Paris Games as this marks his first NBA games back in his home country. Wemby starred with Metropolitan’s 92 in the French capital before becoming No. 1 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Spurs and went on to win Kia Rookie of the Year.

The moment: The Paris Games 2025 coincide with incredible momentum around the NBA in France and across Europe. No country outside the United States and Canada has produced more NBA players than France, including a record 14 in the 2024-25 season. With Zaccharie Risacher’s selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, France became the first country outside the United States to hold the consecutive no. 1 overall choice. Paris is also on track to host the 2024 Olympics, with basketball drawing attention with a pair of exciting gold medal games between the United States and France.

Matchups: The Spurs and Pacers head to Paris as two teams headed in opposite directions to start 2025. The Pacers are tied for the NBA’s best record entering the new year (8-1), while the Spurs are just 2-6 since the calendar turned to January. Heading into Week 14 – just past the midpoint of the regular season – the Pacers are fifth in the East, while the Spurs are 12th in the West.

Indiana: Led by a pair of two-time NBA All-Stars — Pascal Siakam (20.1 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and Tyrese Haliburton (17.9 ppg, 8.8 apg) — the Pacers have rebounded from a slow start to the season ( 10-15 through 25 games) as they look to build on last year’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Haliburton, who was part of the US Olympic team, said he is looking forward to returning to Paris: “I’m just excited to be back. I think everybody knows we’re going to Paris to playing against San Antonio, who obviously have the face of France in their team. So we go in there, probably not a ton of cheers and support for us, but that’s okay.”

San Antonio: With 19 wins through 41 games, the Spurs are just four wins short of last season’s total as they seek their first postseason appearance since 2019. Wemby – fifth in the latest Kia MVP Ladder – leads the Spurs in points (24.4) , rebounds (10.8), blocks (league high 4.0) and 3-pointers (3.2).

San Antonio’s leading scorers are all 25 or younger, while veteran point guard Chris Paul leads the team in assists (8.2).

The story: NBA Paris Games 2025 will mark the NBA’s 96th and 97th games in Europe and the 14th and 15th games in France – including preseason and regular-season games.

Here is a complete list of regular season NBA games played in Paris:

In addition to playing games and practicing the game in Paris over the years, NBA players have explored the city and taken photos in front of the iconic Eiffel Tower – a tradition that Wemby looks forward to expanding.

How to watch: Fans from 53 countries and territories purchased tickets to attend the games, a record for any NBA event anywhere in the world. For those not inside the Accor Arena, Thursday’s game will be broadcast on NBA TV and Saturday’s rematch on ESPN for fans in the US

Internationally, the Paris Games will be broadcast live on beIN SPORTS, Canal+ (free-to-air) and NBA League Pass, reaching fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 50 languages ​​on television, digital media and social media.