(Reuters) – The Brooklyn Nets will face the Cleveland Cavaliers at Paris’s Accor Arena on Jan. 11, 2024 for the third regular-season NBA game in the French capital, the NBA announced on Wednesday.
The league and France have long been intertwined, with more players coming from the European country than anywhere else outside North America, including this year’s number one overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing the live NBA experience back to Paris with two exciting teams in the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers,” said Mark Tatum, the NBA’s deputy commissioner and chief operating officer
“This game has become a destination for our passionate fans across Europe and will build on the incredible momentum around basketball and the NBA in France and throughout the region.”
The game will be held about six month before Paris hosts the 2024 Summer Olympics, where basketball will feature prominently.
Team USA defeated France 87-82 to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
“The City of Paris is delighted to host another thrilling NBA regular-season game and extend a warm welcome to two remarkable teams, the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers,” said Pierre Rabadan, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sports, Olympic and Paralympic Games and river Seine.
“Our love and passion for the sport of basketball drive us to provide an unforgettable experience for players and fans alike. Paris has always been a special place for basketball and continues to be, as its rich culture steadily thrives and spreads within the city.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
