It has been confirmed for a few days now: Victor Wembanyama's Spurs and Tyrese Haliburton's Pacers will meet in Paris for two matches, on January 23 and 25, 2025. There was one detail remaining to be finalized: the location of these two meetings.
For what ? Because the Défense Arena in Nanterre, with its 30,000 seats, could be a beautiful setting to double the number of spectators for the event, compared to the Accor Arena in Bercy, half as small in basketball configuration. But the location will not change in 2025. The Spurs and the Pacers will play well at Bercy.
“La Défense Arena applied but we did not fight with them directly,” explains Pierre Rabadan, deputy in charge of sport at Paris City Hall, for the newspaper L’Équipe. “I know that the greater gauge among them questioned the NBA. We had other arguments, we proposed a global hosting project, with many activations which will not confine the event to two matches. They would not have been possible if the matches had not taken place at home. The NBA’s ambition is to organize the largest NBA event outside of American soil.”
A real test for the future of NBA matches abroad
After a regular season match organized in Paris in 2020, 2023 and 2024, the NBA will therefore be even stronger next year with two matches in three days. Is this the start of a very long-term relationship?
“I wish I could answer firmly. I proposed to the boss of the NBA, Adam Silver, to work over a longer period of time,” confirms Pierre Rabadan. “They want to test the format of two matches in three days, and a more ambitious activation program. If all parties benefit from it, we could absolutely work on a multi-year model. The event changes dimension, we must ensure that both parties will be satisfied. »
We therefore understand that the Paris town hall negotiated with the NBA so that the matches took place in Paris itself, and not in Nanterre, in exchange for a few “activations”, undoubtedly the provision of iconic places in the capital in the part of the overall trip of Victor Wembanyama and company to France.
