While in Paris, Wembanyama has chosen to focus on engaging with French media to help connect with the French audience. His three exclusive interviews were all with French companies, including Picsou Magazine — a children’s magazine he used to read when he was younger.

Victor Wembanyama is one of the league’s very best players. The San Antonio star and reigning rookie of the year is an All-Star for the first time, one of the 14 players announced Thursday night as members of the reserve pool for the Feb.

Thursday's game was proof of concept. Wembanyama will soon be the NBA's signature star, and sending him to Paris for a few games every year is a chance to build one of these signature events around his growing fame and eagerness to please his hometown audience. His presence made all of the difference on Thursday.

Wemby’s first NBA game in France was a smashing success, as he went off for 30 points in the Spurs’ 140-110 win over the Pacers.

The final tally for Victor Wembanyama’s trip in Paris: two games, 50 points, 23 rebounds, eight assists, six blocks, two courts dedicated, one trip to the Eiffel Tower, a Fashion Week appearance, a Champions League match attended and about a million high-fives.

Victor Wembanyama reflected own the "amazing" week that he and the San Antonio Spurs had after they competed in a pair of NBA games in his home town of

Victor Wembanyama praised as "mature young man" for his ability to remain focused while juggling commitments for Spurs.

The main events start Thursday when Wembanyama and the Spurs take on the Indiana Pacers in the first of two games in Paris. The rematch is Saturday, both happening at Accor Arena, the same building where Wembanyama played in the knockout round of the Paris Olympics last summer when he and France wound up losing to the U.S. in the gold-medal game.

The Spurs' Victor Wembanyama and the Rockets' Alperen Sengun were among six first-timers named to the NBA All-Star Game on Thursday, when the league announced the reserves.