The NBA game between Detroit and Chicago in Paris speaks to the importance of France

BASKETBALL – For the second time in history, France will have the honor of hosting an NBA regular season game. After its first foray into the American basketball league in Paris in January 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic, it returns to the capital this Thursday, January 19, with the Milwaukee Bucks-Charlotte Hornets meeting.

At 9:00 p.m., the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons meet at the AccorArena in a matchup reminiscent of the 90s, even if the two teams, currently ranked 10th and 14th in the Eastern Conference, are far from their glory days today. past years.

Therefore, if the stakes of this meeting seem limited on the ground, above all, it is necessary to be interested in the symbolism around this event, which allows the France of basketball to see itself even more valuable with this choice of the NBA. Paris.

For what it calls the “NBA Global Games,” the American league has stopped in Mexico every year since 2014 (except for 2020 and 2021), but Paris is the only stop outside the Americas for this season. The French capital took over from London, which hosted eight matches between 2011 and 2019. And this match, which sold out very quickly, should sign another match next year. HuffPost Jacques Monclar, consultant for beIN SPORTS, the channel that broadcasts the evening game and the entire NBA season. This was also suggested by the head of the league, Adam Silver.

Something that has been undeniable for several years now, France’s influence in international basketball and in the NBA, and the sensational arrival of Victor Wembanyama announced in the league next year will only be highlighted.

The Frenchman, a player for the Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans, is the likely No. 1 pick in the draft and has already been selected.“extraterrestrial” league star LeBron James is the source of all fantasies with his unusual physique – 2.21 m tall at the age of 19 – and his particularly atypical game, especially in attack. “Highlights” of his actions in the French championship are already circulating on social networks and are already widely covered in the American media.

Tony Parker led the way, Victor Vembanyama will make it shine

So if the “Wemby” hype begins next fall in the United States to bolster France’s place in the NBA, the latter has been building gradually since Tony Parker’s arrival in 2001. Winning the title with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, before adding three more titles in 2005, 2007 and 2014.

Confident in the performance of “TP” and the possibility of success in the biggest league in the world, the French players gradually fell to the point where now ten French players play on the American courts every season.

With nine representatives at the start of the 2022-2023 financial year, France offered Australia the second-largest contingent of international players behind Canada (23 players). Among them, Nicolas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers), Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Evan Fournier (New York Knicks) stand out with particularly large contracts, which is an indication of the importance these three players have gained in the league over time. .

“We’ve had NBA players that have gone to the NBA Finals, from Mike Pietrus to Ian Mahinmi, of course, Tony Parker, Boris Diaw… We’ve had players like Joachim Noah who were voted best defenders. (…) It is not a discovery that France is the country of the NBA “I would like to clarify with HuffPost Jacques Monks.

Along with the arrival of Victor Vembanyama in a few months, continuity seems assured with the breakthrough of Killian Hayes this season with the Detroit Pistons, whom the Paris public will see in action this Thursday evening. “It’s really lucky to be able to come home and play in front of my family and friends because they haven’t been able to see me play for a long time now.”The 21-year-old leader was pleased.

Finally, the influence of French players in the NBA has taken a step forward for the French team, which has been at the top for four years: third in the World Cup in 2019, finalist in the Olympic Games in 2020 and finalist in Eurobasket. in 2022. At home for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, a great performance is expected with the potential reinforcement of Philadelphia 76ers’ Cameroonian star Joël Embiid, who received French citizenship last summer and arrived to bolster the Blues.

Furthermore, when Kylian Mbappe was given a standing ovation by the entire room for his simple participation in the recent NBA match between the Brooklyn Nets and the San Antonio Spurs, France was not done talking to US prosecutors about it. .

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