As a good American, we call this “body language”: while Adam Silver, who presented himself to the press this Wednesday afternoon in the luxurious Hotel du Collectionneur in Paris, claimed “not to be ready to confirm that “There will be a match in Paris next year with the San Antonio Spurs”, his look said quite the opposite.
The NBA commissioner has never officially given up, on the eve of the contest between the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Accor Arena. No more than his right arm Mark Tatum. But as the questions continued, the suspense transformed into unacknowledged evidence: Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will participate, barring disaster, in the next NBA regular season match organized in Paris in 2025, in principle in January. “Victor spoke to us directly about it,” agreed the NBA boss, “it’s a match he would like to experience. We would love to bring him here with his San Antonio team. »
A Spurs-Pacers poster
This is also one of the main information from the afternoon meeting: the Grande Ligue has planned to extend its sporting and marketing experience in the capital. “I can confirm that we are sure to come back next year,” said Silver. Does the commitment last for several years, as Paris City Hall wishes and as indicated by Pierre Rabadan, sports deputy?
“We will not confirm the negotiations,” laughed Tatum, echoed in the same burst of laughter by his superior: “We do not want to lose our levers. »And to conclude: “We will be back next year, and one team in particular has a very good chance of being there. » According to our information, the poster is already known. And the most enticing, since it would pit the San Antonio Spurs against the Indiana Pacers. During the meeting with the media, NBA leaders also confirmed the immense power of appeal of “Wemby”, number 1 in jersey sales in France, naturally, but also number 3 in the world.
A first for a Western franchise
For its fourth edition of the Paris Games, the NBA will thus achieve the feat of bringing back to the French public its No. 1 pivot from the last draft, while exporting for the first time to France a franchise from the Western Conference – which London, which hosted these relocated regular season matches before Paris, had obtained with the Denver Nuggets in 2017.
A legendary franchise for the French, who notably saw Tony Parker win four championship rings with the Spurs. Enough to create, probably, an unprecedented enthusiasm around American basketball in Paris, six months after welcoming, during the Paris Olympic Games, a Team USA probably made up of the biggest names among the active legends.
