French NBA rookie superstar Victor Wembanyama will play in Paris next season when the San Antonio Spurs faces Indiana there on January 23 and 25, the league said on Monday.

Wembanyama, who stands 7-foot-4 (2.24m), averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocked shots and 1.2 steals a game this season for Spurs, who finished 22-60, second-worst in the Western Conference.

Spurs have not reached the playoffs since 2019 and have not won a playoff series since 2017.

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The homecoming contests mark a return for the 20-year-old nicknamed “Wemby”, who was a star player in France before being taken by Spurs with the top pick in last year’s NBA Draft.

The regular-season contests will mark the fourth edition of the NBA Paris Games, with the Cleveland Cavaliers defeating the Brooklyn Nets 111-102 this past season.

Chicago beat Detroit in 2023 and Milwaukee defeated Charlotte in 2020 in prior NBA visits to France.