NBA Legends Flock to Spurs vs Pacers Matchup in Paris
![[US, Mexico, & Canada customers only] Jan 23, 2025; Paris, FRANCE; Indiana Pacers player Thomas Bryant controls a rebound against the San Antonio Spurs in the Paris Games 2025 NBA basketball game at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters via Imagn Images [US, Mexico, & Canada customers only] Jan 23, 2025; Paris, FRANCE; Indiana Pacers player Thomas Bryant controls a rebound against the San Antonio Spurs in the Paris Games 2025 NBA basketball game at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters via Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4647,h_2613,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/ball_around_on_si/01jjd72ehhd6pshyt8m3.jpg)
The Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs are the two teams playing overseas in the NBA international game this year. They will have a two-game set, with the first matchup happening on Thursday and the other one happening on Saturday.
During the first matchup, it was all Spurs. They destroyed the Pacers 140-110 after shooting 74 percent in the third quarter and scoring 45 points.
The crowd in Paris was rooting for the Spurs much more than Indiana because of Victor Wembanyama returning to France. Fans flocked to the arena to see him play.
Indiana is hoping to make the second matchup a little more competitive on Saturday. That would help the fans get more enjoyment out of the games as well.
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In the first game, there were plenty of former NBA legends in attendance. The NBA made sure to bring back multiple players to take in the game.
David Robinson, Oscar Robertson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Pau Gasol were all Hall of Fame players who were in attendance for the game. Robertson is from Indiana and Robinson played for the Spurs. The rest are international players.
They weren't the only former NBA players in attendance. Joakim Noah, Boris Diaw, and Ian Mahinmi were also watching the game.
Mahinmi is a native of France and played for both the Pacers and the Spurs. Diaw is a former Spur, while Noah holds French citizenship.
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It's great to see so many former NBA legends supporting the current players out there playing in today's NBA game. They got to watch two superstars in Tyrese Haliburton and Wembanyama.
A lot of them will be in attendance for the second game between these two teams as well. The Pacers are hoping to put on a better show this time around.
Following the game on Saturday, both teams will head back to the US to finish off the rest of their NBA schedule. Both of them won't play again until Wednesday in order to accommodate their long trip back.
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