NBA Paris Games: 2025 teams, double-header location and more
By Quinn Everts
Wemby is coming home. Not forever, of course; but the NBA's young superstar will play in his hometown of Paris twice this month, when his San Antonio Spurs face off with the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 edition of the NBA Paris Games.
The games will occur on Thursday, January 23rd at 2:00 PM EST and Saturday, January 25th at 12 PM EST. Both games will take place in Accor Arena, which fits about 15,000 fans for basketball games. The 2024 Olympics gold medal basketball games took place there, for both men and women.
The first game will be televised on NBA TV, and the second game will be on ESPN.
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What to expect from Spurs vs. Pacers in Paris
Probably a pretty dang good game! Indiana has gotten scorching hot after a sluggish start while the Spurs have been one of the surprises in the NBA this year. Expect the league to push the "Wemby in France" angle as one of the NBA's young starts will undoubtedly bring in a raucous crowd.
At the moment, both teams are better defensively than they are on offense — but Indiana's offense is coming into form as the season progresses, led by Tyrese Haliburton who looks much more like himself as of late.
History of regular season NBA games in Paris
San Antonio and Indiana squaring off will be the first time the NBA has played two regular season games in one year in Paris, but it won't be the first time an NBA game has taken place in the French capital. Over the past five years, the league has played three games in Paris.
Teams | Date |
|---|---|
Milwaukee Bucks (116) vs. Charlote Hornets (103) | January 24, 2020 |
Chicago Bulls (126) vs. Detroit Pistons (108) | January 19, 2023 |
Cleveland Cavaliers (111) vs. Brooklyn Nets (102) | January 11, 2024 |
The league has also played four preseason games in Paris, and the Chicago Bulls took part in the "McDonald's Championship" tournament in 1997 against teams from across the globe. That probably won't ever happen again, but it would be cool to see an NBA team face off against high-level teams from other countries.