France against the United States, and a bit of the rest of the world. Here is the program for the annual All-Star Game of the National Basketball League, including the 39e edition takes place on Sunday, December 28, at the Palais omnisports de Paris-Bercy (Accor Arena). On the French side, the team is led by Paris 2024 Olympic vice-champion Matthew Strazel and national selection regulars Nadir Hifi, Elie Okobo and Amath M’Baye. Opposite, with ten of its twelve members of American nationality, the team “World” is nowhere near as cosmopolitan as its name suggests.
Having become customary, this composition reflects the overwhelming majority of the North American country in the international contingent of the Betclic Elite (the French men’s championship). Out of 113 foreign players, 81 are from the United States (72%). Second knives in the country, many of them occupy the leading roles in their teams. “Being an All-Star means a lot to me. This means that my name is forever engraved in the history of the championship”highlighted, on Saturday, the interior of Limoges Gavin Ware, cited by BeBasket.
Although it was invented by a Canadian, James Naismith, basketball was born in the United States in 1891. And more than one hundred and thirty years later, the country is still – by far – the largest producer of high-level players. Each year, several thousand of them leave the university system (NCAA), the last stage of American training. The hundreds of candidates for a professional career then all dream of joining the prestigious National Basketball Association (NBA), the most competitive – and lucrative – championship in the world. But only 60 players per year have the chance to be selected during the draftthis sort of lottery where the big league teams share their hopes. And more and more come from other countries, starting with France.
Those left behind can try to prove themselves in the G League, the NBA’s “development” championship. The sporting level, exposure – and remuneration – are, however, far lower than the parent league.
The other option that remains for those left behind is expatriation to national championships in the four corners of the world. Australia, China and especially Europe are the preferred destinations. The remuneration is lower, but some people have major careers there – there is no shortage of examples over the years.
“The NBA is not for people like me”
All undrafted, the members of the All-Star “World” team on Sunday are not headliners in the country. With the exception of Monaco’s star leader, Mike James, their names are even absolutely unknown to the vast majority of American followers. And they pay it forward: even courted by NBA teams, these expatriates rarely go the other way, like the former Paris Basketball point guard TJ Shorts, approached by the Memphis Grizzlies in the off-season. The best player in the championship in 2025 preferred to play for Greek club Panathinaikos rather than risk a minimal sporting role.
“The NBA is fun, but it’s not for people like mehighlighted Mike James in 2021, after his return to Europe following an aborted freelance stint at the Brooklyn Nets. It’s made for people 2 meters tall who jump high, who are good defenders and who stay planted in the corners” of the land. On Sunday, he will try to make “Team World” win a third time in a row against the French players.
In the opposite direction, French basketball is now facing a significant flight of its young hopes towards the American university circuit, which reopened to professionalization in 2021. Around ten French NBA aspirants thus joined a university on the NCAA circuit this summer, including Ilias Kamardine, who was expected to be the future star of the French championship for the 2025-2026 season.
If he comes to realize the hopes placed in him, and shine in the NBA, the ex-Dijon player could find himself playing in an All-Star Game against the Americans. But not in Betclic Elite: from this season, the NBA “star game” will in turn adopt a format seeing the “locals” face the rest of the world.
