Victor Wembanyama is ready to lead the charge for San Antonio against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday at the Accor Arena in Paris, France.

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.

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 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.

Wembanyama is a special talent, and before the whole world knew who he was, he was a kid from Le Chesnay in the Paris region. That is where he grew to love the game of basketball. As he and his team get ready to play a two-game series in his home country against the Indiana Pacers, he was honored with a special basketball court in his hometown.

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

The San Antonio Spurs have taken another step forward in their rebuild this season. Victor Wembanyama already looks like an All NBA level player in his second season and the Spurs are battling for a play-in spot in the Western Conference as the All-Star break nears.

The San Antonio Spurs have a bright future with Victor Wembanyama in the lineup, but the 2025 NBA Draft could supply the missing piece.

The week is essentially going to be a celebration of France’s own Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio’s reigning NBA Rookie of the Year.