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.

It won't happen, and nobody knows when — or if — Popovich will be back on the Spurs' sideline. Popovich's absence is a glaring one in Paris this week for the pair of NBA matchups between the Pacers and Spurs on Thursday and Saturday; he's back home, recovering from a November stroke.

Indiana Pacers star Myles Turner had never been to Paris before this week. "It's been a whirlwind," Turner said, as the Pacers prepare to play the San Antonio Spurs in the French capital as part of the NBA's Paris Games 2025.

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.

Victor Wembanyama will take to the court in Paris on Thursday (Friday Manila time) with the San Antonio Spurs in front of an adoring home crowd, having gone from the French league to global stardom.