Gregg Popovich, Victor Wembanyama Say Spurs Will Play in France Next Season

After the San Antonio Spurs’ win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night, coach Gregg Popovich and star rookie Victor Wembanyama both said their team will play in France next season.

The NBA has played three regular-season games in France since 2020 but hasn’t announced which teams will play there next season. Despite nothing being official, it’s expected that the Spurs will be one of those teams given the fact that Wembanyama was born in Le Chesnay, France, a suburb of Paris.

Sunday’s game was played in Austin, Texas, approximately 80 miles up the road from San Antonio, and when discussing where the team could possibly play next season, one reporter quipped, “How about Paris?”

“Well, we’re going there,” Popovich responded. 

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich talks about his team's win over the Nets, playing in front of the Austin crowd and lessons learned from playing a close game.#PorVida | @Spurs | @BallySports ???? pic.twitter.com/XQAyP5iTgJ

— Bally Sports San Antonio (@BallySportsSA) March 18, 2024

When it was Wembanyama’s turn to face the media after the 122–115 win, he was asked about his coach’s comment. 

“I’m looking forward to it very much,” Wembanyama said. “Obviously it’s going to be probably the game or the games that are going to be very important for me, because of course it’s me coming back from where I come from, especially might be in my city or around the city. So it’s going to be very special. Also, it is going to allow me to see maybe my family in the middle of the season, which doesn’t happen often. So it’s great.”

Wemby on Pop saying Spurs will play in Paris next season: pic.twitter.com/iJXP0t43Fe

— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) March 18, 2024