Why NBA games on European soil are so important — especially when Victor Wembanyama is involved

PARIS — If you are an American-born NBA fan, you'll be forgiven for thinking it's a waste of time for teams to play games on European soil, while altering the inner body clock of their players. After all, why not stay the course and keep the National Basketball Association, well, national?

However, for European-born fans of the NBA, it's anything but a waste of time. The league's presence on the continent is, in fact, vital to keep interest in the region high and to build the game.

“Playing games outside of the U.S. and Canada is a critical part of the NBA’s year-round efforts to engage our passionate international fans, many of whom may not otherwise have the opportunity to experience the excitement of an NBA game in-person," NBA managing director, Europe & Middle East, George Aivazoglou told Yahoo Sports.

"While fans in Europe have around-the-clock access to live NBA games, programming and content on the devices and platforms they use most, there is no substitute for the live NBA experience, which is why we’ve played more than 215 games in more than 20 countries outside of the U.S. and Canada, including nearly 100 in Europe."

Aivazoglou is right. As an NBA writer who has covered the league from Denmark for 17 years, it's nothing short of necessary to see the league establish itself in Europe and dig deeper roots. By doing so, more basketball fans are created, which in turn means more players and makes the NBA product more global.

This week, the NBA Paris Games are upon us. Two games will be played Thursday and Saturday, both between the Indiana Pacers and, to the surprise of absolutely no one, the San Antonio Spurs, featuring French superstar Victor Wembanyama.

The event is marketed everywhere and rightfully so. Near Accor Arena, with game action still over 55 hours away, people were taking selfies with the NBA logo, which has been thoroughly planted in the concrete outside the venue.

Posters, both printed and digital, featuring heavy advertising for the two games, graced the car ride from Charles de Gaulle Airport during the roughly 40-minute trip to the bustling streets of Paris.

It makes sense for multiple reasons.

In numbers provided to Yahoo Sports from the NBA, the Wembanyama takeover has dominated the French market.

Not only are the Spurs the most-watched team in France, since Wembanyama's debut in 2023, viewership of Spurs games on NBA League Pass sits at plus-233% versus a comparable number of games in seasons without him.

It underlines the importance of getting the star on French ground, per Aivazoglou.

"These games and the surrounding activities serve as a catalyst for the continued growth of the game in Europe at a time when basketball is the fastest-growing sport in the region,” Aivazoglou said.

Let's set aside the numbers, the impact, the growth, the ratings and the analytics for a moment. Because there's something else at play here.

It feels genuinely important, and that feeling is everywhere, meaning it is important.

The NBA is currently in its best era of basketball, and the vast majority of the biggest stars are international players, with a large amount of those players being European. Nikola Jokić is the best player in all of basketball. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Dončić aren't far behind. The aforementioned Wembanyama is closing in on top-five status, if he isn't there already.

In no way, shape or form can anyone reject the premise that European interest is climbing, in large part due to the representation of these talents. Not having an annual game on the continent would be flat-out malpractice.

It seems, much to the enjoyment of people over here, the league agrees. The Paris Games, and the London Games before them, also see enthusiasm from within league ranks as well, including teams, players and personnel.

Some use the opportunity to bring family members and make a working vacation out of it, creating memories that last a lifetime.

Two years ago, when the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons were in Paris to play, several members of Chicago's group of beat writers and content creators referred to the trip as "once in a lifetime," underlining the importance from the visiting American angle.

Ultimately, the NBA Paris Games represent what sports are all about: coming together through different cultures, beliefs and ideologies. Those are, partly, set aside for the joint effort of celebrating the shared love of the game of basketball.

City of Love, indeed.