While in Paris, Wembanyama has chosen to focus on engaging with French media to help connect with the French audience. His three exclusive interviews were all with French companies, including Picsou Magazine — a children’s magazine he used to read when he was younger.

Thursday's game was proof of concept. Wembanyama will soon be the NBA's signature star, and sending him to Paris for a few games every year is a chance to build one of these signature events around his growing fame and eagerness to please his hometown audience. His presence made all of the difference on Thursday.

Victor Wembanyama praised as "mature young man" for his ability to remain focused while juggling commitments for Spurs.

Wemby’s first NBA game in France was a smashing success, as he went off for 30 points in the Spurs’ 140-110 win over the Pacers.

Victor Wembanyama reflected own the "amazing" week that he and the San Antonio Spurs had after they competed in a pair of NBA games in his home town of

While Wembanyama was kept in relative check on Saturday, his thundrous performance on Thursday featured 30 points on 13-for-21 shooting, 11 rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and one steal. Safe to say, the fans got their money’s worth.

The main events start Thursday when Wembanyama and the Spurs take on the Indiana Pacers in the first of two games in Paris. The rematch is Saturday, both happening at Accor Arena, the same building where Wembanyama played in the knockout round of the Paris Olympics last summer when he and France wound up losing to the U.S. in the gold-medal game.

To go along with a 140-110 win, the 7'3" 21-year-old center was a highlight reel machine. In 32 minutes of play, Wembanyama pulled off a self-alley-oop from just inside the free-throw line, dished out another to his teammate Jeremy Sochan, played lock-down defense, and was the Spurs' leading scorer on the afternoon.

Heading into the 2024-25 NBA campaign, San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama securing Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) honors almost felt predetermined. The 7-foot-3 French phenom was expected to be an immediate elite contributor on that end of the floor as a rookie and was.