Victor Wembanyama embracing the moment at Paris Games — with a little local flavor

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Victor Wembanyama goes through a shootaround session at the Accor Arena in Paris on Jan. 22, 2025. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

PARIS — While the streets were treated to freezing weather, Spurs forward Keldon Johnson was busy warming hearts.

During Wednesday’s NBA Cares event, which included basketball drill stations for a group of French children, Johnson took the wide-eyed participants on a detour, running them, and himself, up and down the stairs of Accor Arena.

“He’s gone rogue!” one Spurs personnel member laughed, as the kids enjoyed the unrivaled enthusiasm of Johnson’s involvement.

As Johnson and the kids headed back down, the forward emerged carrying on his back a young man with a large knee brace and an enormous smile on his face.

“He scored a ton of points in my book,” a fellow Danish media member mentioned.

Johnson’s enthusiasm filled the entire arena, as his voice often drowned the music coming from the PA system. Several kids, doing drills with Spurs teammates Blake Wesley and Sandro Mamukelashvili, couldn’t help but turn their attention to the constant antics of the 25-year-old Johnson, who was having as good a time as anyone on the floor.

As Johnson put down the boy with the knee brace, he was panting after making the multiple runs up and down the stairs. A member of the Spurs organization yelled out, “You overestimated that one, didn’t you?” To which Johnson tried answering but gave up due to his lack of breath and resigned himself to the fact that he had indeed.

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The event put a wonderful cap on San Antonio’s open practice and media availability for the Paris Games.

Moments before the NBA Cares event, Victor Wembanyama had partaken in a news conference, where up came the subject of head coach Gregg Popovich, who suffered a stroke on Nov. 2.

Wembanyama had taken the team to dinner Monday night, emulating what Popovich is wont to do on road trips.

“Pop had his schedule here, so I know he would have done something like that too,” Wembanyama said. “Doing that on the first day was important for me, as a welcome to my team. I know that…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/victor-wembanyama-embracing-the-moment-at-paris-games–with-a-little-local-flavor-215851443.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-01-22 21:58:00

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