NEW YORK — Victor Wembanyama is taking the San Antonio Spurs back to Paris next season, and this time he’s bringing Zion Williamson with him.The NBA announced Wednesday that for the second time in his young career, Wembanyama, born in Paris, will play two games with the Spurs in Europe next January, including one at Accor Arena in the 12th arrondissement of the French capital on Jan. 14.The Spurs’ opponent for the two games will be Williamson’s New Orleans Pelicans, and the site for the second game is Manchester, England, on Jan. 17. Manchester is getting a regular-season NBA game for the first time.Wemby and the Spurs played two games in Paris in 2025, both against the Indiana Pacers and both at Accor Arena — the site of the 2024 Olympic gold-medal game in which Wembanyama and host France lost a close contest to the United States.
Additionally, both Paris and Manchester are being targeted as sites for NBA Europe teams, which commissioner Adam Silver wants to launch in the fall of 2027.“Playing games in Paris and Manchester reflects the strong momentum we’re seeing for basketball and the NBA in France, the UK and across Europe,” NBA managing director for Europe and the Middle East George Aivazoglou said in a news release. “As interest in the game continues to grow across the continent, we look forward to working with the Pelicans, the Spurs and our partners to deliver unique experiences for fans, aspiring players and the local communities.”Wembanyama, 22, the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year and former Rookie of the Year, had a smashing Paris debut with the Spurs. In his first NBA game in Paris last year, Wemby notched 30 points and 11 rebounds with five blocks in a 30-point win that was as much a celebration of Wemby’s heritage as it was the NBA’s global outreach. Wembanyama treated his teammates to the city’s sights and to a private dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant along the Champs-Élysées.Wemby also had a pretty big game the other night — you may have heard — with 41 points and 24 rebounds in a double-overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. That series continues tonight.The NBA’s European basketball plan, including both Paris and Manchester, will likely be funded by huge soccer conglomerates with Middle Eastern backing.The new Parisian team is likely to be owned by the Qatar-based ownership group that owns Paris Saint-Germain soccer; an Abu Dhabi-based fund owns Manchester City soccer club.
