The Pacers are in Paris because someone has to be the opponent to French phenom Victor Wembanyama, but they're getting everything out of the trip.

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.

"We're going to throw everything we got at him just try do what we can go get a win," said Turner. "They are a tightknit group. They are guys who grind and hustle, so you know, we have to kind of match that intensity and supersede that.

Fans from at least 53 countries have bought tickets for the Spurs-Pacers games in Paris, a record for any league event.

The high octane glitz of NBA basketball will descend on Paris on Thursday night as the San Antonio Spurs - who feature the French star Victor Wembanyama - take on the Indiana Pacers in the first of two regular season games.

Indiana’s Rick Carlisle has coached more games against San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich than anyone else. They’ve had 87 head-to-head matchups, including playoffs.

Before the Spurs drafted Wembanyama No. 1 in 2023, they selected a Frenchman named Tony Parker with the No. 28 pick in 2001.