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

Wembanyama was born and raised in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, a western Paris suburb, and has made it a focus this week to introduce his teammates to Parisian culture and the life he led before he became the NBA Rookie of the Year and likely next face of the league.

Victor Wembanyama stood on the center stripe of a new outdoor court in his hometown, his arms outstretched to their full 8-foot wingspan as he posed for a slew of photographers.

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

A group of Wembanyama’s former coaches, teammates and trainers greeted him and the Spurs at Palais des Sports Maurice Thorez on Monday.

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.

The trip is a homecoming for the Spurs' biggest star, and Victor Wembanyama unveiled two basketball courts in his hometown of Le Chesnay (a suburb just 10 miles from the heart of Paris) on Tuesday. Wembanyama was in attendance for the unveiling of the courts,

Growing up in the quiet Paris suburb of Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, Victor Wembanyama, who played both soccer and basketball, used to dream about having access to a basketball court where he could practice and hoop to his heart’s delight. Now, that dream has come true—not just for him, but for the young kids and athletes growing up in his hometown.

Officially, Indiana will be the home team on the scoreboard when it plays San Antonio in Paris on Thursday. The Pacers know better.

In France, basketball is rapidly growing, and as the NBA looks to capitalize on that, they sent the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers to Paris to play a series of two games this week. While Accor Arena would likely be sold out anyway, the draw of Victor Wembanyama has been enough for the entire City of Lights to be abuzz with excitement.

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama showed love to the fans at home in France ahead of the NBA Paris Games against the Pacers.