Projected No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama is the star of the show at NBA Paris as he watches the Pistons-Bulls match-up courtside… with Pharrell Williams, Lakers legend Magic Johnson and F1 stars Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly also in attendance.
Projected No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama led a star-studded set of courtside celebrities at the NBA’s annual trip to Paris.
French phenom Wembanyama is the unanimous projection to go No. 1 in the 2023 draft and he got an early look at the Detroit Pistons, one of the teams set to have some of the best lottery odds to land him.
Wembanyama was mobbed for photos before tip-off but he was not alone as Lakers icon Magic Johnson and singer Pharrell Williams also assumed their seats courtside.
Victor Wembanyama (left), the projected 2023 No. 1 draft pick, was courtside at NBA Paris
The French phenom was a man in demand as he was mobbed for pictures before tip-off
Lakers legend Magic Johnson (left) and singer Pharrell Williams (right) were also in attendance
Williams and Johnson watched as the Pistons and Bulls played out an end-to-end first half
Formula One trio Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon were in attendance for the Pistons’ match-up with the Chicago Bulls, with rapper Lil Baby and TikTok star Khaby Lame among other familiar faces.
Singer Aya Nakamura was also snapped looking glamorous for the NBA’s visit to the French capital.
But nobody proved as popular as 7ft4 Wembanyama, with a queue forming to get a photo with the 19-year-old.
French NBA legend Tony Parker, who is a four-time NBA champion, addressed the crowd alongside Pistons star Killian Hayes and Bulls center Nikola Vucevic before the game.
It had been a hectic week for the Pistons as they looked to have their entire roster in place.
Pistons rookie Jalen Duren made sure he didn’t miss the annual European voyage – although it was far from straightforward for the center.
Singer Aya Nakamura (left) was glammed up for the NBA’s annual trip to play over in Europe
Former Bulls star Joakim Noah (middle) sits alongside Tony Parker (second from right)
The struggling Detroit Pistons were taking on the Chicago Bulls inside the Accor Arena in Paris
Duren was a notable absentee in a photo taken of Detroit’s squad in front of the Eiffel Tower earlier this week, and The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III reported that he was in fact stuck in the US after losing his passport.
Detroit chiefs worked around the clock to get him to France in time for Thursday’s showdown with the Bulls, which was taking place at the Accor Arena.
In the end he was starting on the bench having missed a number of games with an ankle problem that is yet to fully clear up.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver gave French NBA fans a boost by revealing the league is set to return to Paris once again in 2024.
Paris assumed responsibility of hosting the NBA Europe game from London in XXXX and following a conversation with French president Emmanuel Macron, Silver is expecting to be back in 12 months’ time.
‘We told him (Emmanuel Macron) yesterday that, apart from the Olympic Games (Paris 2024), we will most likely return to Paris again next year for a regular league game,’ Silver said.
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