Victor Wembanyama delights Paris crowd with dominant performance as Spurs beat Pacers

Paris – “Bonsoir Paris,” indeed.

With 15,935 rabid fans, most of them French, screaming in anticipation and appreciation when one of the country’s two most famous athletes took the microphone, Victor Wembany officially kicked off his very famous homecoming in Paris’ biggest basketball arena with these two words in his native language.

But it was his play that spoke the loudest.

Wemby’s first NBA game in France was a smashing success as he went off for 30 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks in the San Antonio Spurs’ 140-110 win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Parisian and French national team standout broke out for 10 points in the first quarter, feeding off the emotion in the Accor Arena and spending the rest of his 32 total court minutes floating shots, throwing lobs and pounding on the Pacers. In the fourth quarter, with the game well in hand, Wemby threw one off the backboard to himself and smashed it home to the delight of the crowd.

One of many such occasions.

“It was perfect, it was a perfect night,” said Wembanyama. “We had a win and we won the right way.”

Spurs dominated the second half and when it was over Wemby said it was his side’s best game of the season. Chris Paul said it was his young teammate’s most complete game.

After a stirring rendition of the French national anthem, with most of the crowd singing along, Wembanyama was greeted by a deafening roar when his name was introduced. He and the Pacers’ Benn Mathurin, who is from Montreal and led the Pacers with 24 points, both addressed the crowd in French before the ball went into the air.

“I don’t know what Victor said, but what he said,” Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said.

“The ovation for him was obviously very, very moving in terms of a reflection of how this city and country and these people feel about him,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson added.

The game was close at the half—a three-point halftime lead was 25 when the third quarter ended—but the hum of excitement and adoration for Wembanyama never ceased. Their favorite player added six assists to his stats and shot 13-of-21 with four 3-pointers.

Throughout the game there were chants of “Wemby, Wemby,” and when the man of the night left the game for good with 5:34 left and his team ahead by 24, the chant changed to “MVP, MVP.”

Not this year, French fans, but it’s probably not that far away.

“It meant everything,” Wemby said of the public worship. “It’s not disappointing – it’s crazy to have the public showing up. … I am proud of us, proud of myself, proud to be French. It just confirmed what I thought would happen, the energy (in the building). “

Wembanyama is the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, leads the league in blocks for the second straight season and has a strong chance to become an All-Star in just his second pro season.

“I think that Victor, as I said, has exceeded my expectations,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said before the game. “And I just want to say that it is a pleasure to be part of a league with Victor Wembanyama.”

The Spurs and Pacers play again at noon Eastern Saturday in Paris, with the game televised on ESPN.

Tyrese Haliburton, playing in Paris for the first time since his stint with Team USA at the Olympics, finished with 13 points and seven assists for the Pacers. Pascal Siakam added 18 points.

Devin Vassell added 25 points for the Spurs and Harrison Barnes contributed 20 points. Jeremy Sochan returned after missing San Antonio’s previous five games with a bone bruise in his back and contributed 13 points and nine boards.

The Spurs assisted on 43 of their 58 buckets and crushed the Pacers on the glass, outscoring them 57-31.

Wembanyama, who turned 21 earlier this month, was born and raised in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, a western suburb of Paris near the Palace of Versailles. He played for three professional teams in France, including two near his hometown.

Wemby’s first triumphant return to Paris as an NBA star came last summer, when he emerged as the top player for a French national team that nearly beat the United States in the gold medal game at Accor Arena—the same court where Thursday’s Spurs-Pacers- games were held.

While the Olympics are a global celebration of sports and the men’s basketball tournament was packed with superstars, the NBA’s week in Paris was largely about Wembanyama. He made sure to turn the celebration into a sharing of his culture with teammates as well as sharing the Spurs with the community where he grew up.

When he arrived in Paris on Monday, Spurs practiced at Wembanyama’s request at Nanterre 92’s Gym, where he first turned Pro in France at the age of 15. He then brought all the Spurs players to the Louis Vuitton Anchor Store on the Champs-Élysées, before treating them with a private dinner at the Michelin Star Restaurant, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Etoile. The menu included lamb chops and quail, seafood and caviar and a passion fruit dessert.

On Tuesday, Wemby’s teammates, as well as San Antonio coaches and front-office members, joined him to unveil two new outdoor basketball courts just four minutes from the house he grew up in and where his parents still live. Wembanyama said he used to sledge on the property where the courts were built. The project, whose idea came from Wembanyama, was mostly funded by Spurs’ charitable foundation and was pulled together over the past several months.

After the Spurs practiced Wednesday at Accor Arena, Wemby’s oldest and longest-tenured NBA vet, Chris Paul, who is 39 and has played 20 seasons, said, “He’s just wise beyond his years.

“He knows the history of everything,” said Paulus, describing the conversation on the team bus that day. “We talked about when the Louvre was built and why it was built. And he talks about all these different things and probably because I’m older. I appreciate it. “

The Spurs have a long international tradition that traces back to at least 2000 in France, when San Antonio general manager RC Buford began scouting Tony Parker. Now a Hall of Famer, Parker, who owns a pro team in Lyon, France, was on hand for the game, as was Team France General Manager and former Spur Boris Diaw. Manu Ginobili, another Spurs legend, was available, as was Admiral David Robinson.

The Spurs snapped a three-game losing streak; Indiana entered having won two straight and eight of nine. The Pacers are now 0-1 when they apparently have to play against the entire countries.

“Obviously, it’s not easy for us,” said Mathurin. ”(Wembanyama) is a special player, a very good player, exceptional player. It is not easy to stop him. We do what we can, but he is really good. He has a very bright future ahead. “

(Photo: Catherine Steenkeste / Getty Images)