NBA Summer League: Wembanyama in front of 19,000 fans for his baptism of fire with the Spurs

2023-07-06 16:47:17

There was no more suspense for a long time but it is now official. The San Antonio Spurs communicated this Thursday afternoon the list of players present at the Summer League in Las Vegas. And Victor Wembanyama – who declined selection for the World Cup in Asia with the Blues to prepare his body for next season – is obviously in this group. Just like the other Frenchy of Spurs Sidy Cissoko.

Two weeks after his historic first place in the NBA draft and the incredible popular fervor that followed in San Antonio, we will finally see Wemby on a basketball court with the Spurs tunic on his back. This big and highly anticipated premiere is scheduled for Friday (6 p.m. local time) – Friday night into Saturday in France. The meeting against the Charlotte Hornets – with a particular duel against the interior Brandon Miller, drafted in second position – will also be broadcast live (at 3 a.m.) on BeIN Sports 3.

And obviously no one wants to miss this appointment. If usually, the posters in this summer league, which essentially allows franchises to gauge their young players, do not really attract crowds, the situation is very different this time. According to various American media, the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas will be sold out for this match. In basketball configuration, the room can accommodate around 19,000 spectators. According to the media TMZ Sports, the prices for this match have exploded and vary between 186 dollars (about 171 euros) to 617 dollars (568 euros).

After filling the halls in four of France and allowing the Metropolitans to relocate twice to the Accor Arena and once to Roland-Garros for the Betclic Elite final, Wembamania is also affecting the country of Uncle Sam. The former Nanterre player’s Instagram account has already jumped 600,000 fans (he now has 2.3 million followers) since the draft.

This Summer League will serve as an appetizer before the preseason matches from October 13 – tickets for which are already on sale. The NBA regular season will begin a week later, starting October 24. The complete calendar of the season will be communicated during the summer, probably mid-August.