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.

Before the Spurs drafted Wembanyama No. 1 in 2023, they selected a Frenchman named Tony Parker with the No. 28 pick in 2001.

The Pacers are in Paris because someone has to be the opponent to French phenom Victor Wembanyama, but they're getting everything out of the trip.

Victor Wembanyama gives back to the youth, debuts two new basketball courts in his hometown ahead of Spurs' Paris games.

Wembanyama — often referred to by his nickname "Wemby" — gifted his jersey to the young fan on Dec. 27 after the Spurs defeated the Brooklyn Nets. After the tiny recipient gave Wembanyama the jersey he had been wearing, the heartwarming photo of the their jersey swap went viral on social media.

The teams arrived in Paris on Monday, with practices and other events scheduled throughout the week and then the games toward the end. The Spurs were coming straight from the airport to a light workout in Nanterre — on the court that Wembanyama called home when started his pro career in the French league as a 15-year-old.