Victor Wembanyama’s summer back home in France added another stop on Thursday, as the Spurs star helped open a refurbished basketball court in Nanterre, the city where he grew up.
He was joined at the ribbon-cutting by Spurs CEO R.C. Buford, with the project made possible through the Spurs’ charitable efforts and jersey sponsor Ledger. Kids from the town came out wearing silver and black and got the first crack at the new court alongside their hometown star.
Nanterre sits just west of Paris and has a population of around 100,000. The clock tower built into the center of the court is a historic one from nearby Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt. When the Spurs were in Paris for two games in 2025, they first unveiled plans for this court and another one.
“Today marks the next chapter, with Nanterre being one of the many important communities in our basketball journey,” Buford said at the time. “The courts we build through Play Paris symbolize our investment in the next generation of players who hope to follow in the footsteps of the global legends before them and elevate the game of basketball in France and beyond.”
Wembanyama wasted no time putting the new basket to use. Video from the event showed him finishing a lob from a small teammate, a moment that had the crowd in the right kind of disbelief.
Another kid took his shot in the lane against the reigning and first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, and that ended the way you’d expect when Wembanyama is involved. The photos made clear he gave the youngster everything he had at the rim.
Wembanyama also has another major headline waiting on the horizon. He will be on the cover of 2K27, another early-career milestone for the Spurs star. He recently signed a contract extension with San Antonio at a discount that will help the team build toward a winner, and he is set to make up some of that money through a new long-term Nike deal that reportedly includes a signature shoe line.
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