New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posed with a Paris Basketball jersey this past weekend, receiving the custom kit from visiting Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire during a diplomatic trip to the American city focused on housing access and climate change initiatives.
Diplomatic Visit and French Sports Apparel
During a weekend meeting addressing urban housing policies and climate action, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire presented Zohran Mamdani with a Paris Basketball jersey. The kit featured the number 75, a direct nod to the department code for Paris, according to reporting from sports outlets covering the exchange.
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This marks the second prominent European sports jersey gifted to Mamdani in recent months. Earlier, during the international football tournament hosted in the United States, the New York mayor received an Arsenal kit featuring the name and number of former defender Pascal Cygan, presented by L’Équipe.
The Paris Basketball club enters the new week following a significant victory, having captured the LNB Supercup title on Sunday against Roanne. The capital club now shifts its focus to continental competition, preparing to open its EuroLeague campaign on Thursday evening away against Panathinaikos.
Deep Roots in New York Basketball Culture
Mamdani’s connection to the sport extends far beyond municipal gift exchanges. As a vocal supporter of local basketball, the New York mayor closely followed the historic championship run of the New York Knicks, who captured the NBA title in June with a 4-1 series victory over San Antonio.
Rather than sitting in exclusive corporate areas, Mamdani watched the games from the upper tiers of Madison Square Garden before joining supporters at the subsequent championship parade through the city streets. His involvement with the basketball community also included breaking the Ramadan fast alongside Knicks forward Mohamed Diawara, a player developed through the Paris Basketball youth system before stints with Poitiers and Cholet.
Upcoming Fixtures and Schedule
Paris Basketball now turns its attention to the highest tier of European club basketball. The team travels to Athens to face Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos on Thursday night, marking a major test to start their EuroLeague schedule.
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Worth a look
