Victor Wembanyama dazzles Parisian crowd in Spurs win

In his short career, Victor Wembanyama has taken the basketball world by storm.

And on Thursday, he did just that but this time in his home country of France.

He and his San Antonio Spurs teammates took on the Indiana Pacers in the first of two games at the Accor Arena in Paris, with the seven-foot-three center giving home fans a lot to marvel at.

In the team’s 140-110 blowout win over the Indiana Pacers, the 21-year-old finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, five blocks and a steal.

The Pacers came into Thursday’s game as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, winning eight of their last nine games.

It was a slow start for San Antonio despite Wemby knocking down a 3-pointer from the center court logo early in the game.

The Spurs trailed the Pacers for most of the first half but caught fire down the stretch, scoring 45 points in the third quarter.

Wembanyama lobbed the ball off the backboard and threw down a dunk to add an exclamation point to the win.

With the game in hand, Wembanayama exited the game to MVP chants.

Wembanyama, the former first overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, credited the raucous Parisian crowd for helping San Antonio secure the win.

“I felt proud to be able to gather people like that,” Wembanyama told reporters. “I felt proud of us, proud of myself, proud of being French. It just confirmed what I thought was gonna happen.”

He addressed fans ahead of tipoff in French, and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle quipped about what he said.

“I don’t know what Victor said before the game, but whatever he said worked,” Carlisle said.

“They played a great game. Victor is a great player. The country of France should be very, very proud. He’s a one-of-a-kind. He’s a once - I don’t know how many generations a player like that comes along. Just breathtaking the things that he does.”

The 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year is averaging 24.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists and is aiming for a potential All-Star game nod.

Both teams will play again on Saturday in Paris.

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