San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama I stood outside in the rain on a cold Paris night. He was wearing a jacket, a hooded sweatshirt, jeans and sneakers. He then spent a few seconds showing off his skills.
Basketball was not involved.
Wembanyama – like many others in NBA – Obsessed with football. He was one of the star attractions of A.J UEFA Champions League Match between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City Earlier this week. On the sideline, Wembanyama put on a juggling act, repeatedly moving the ball through the air, sometimes alternating between feet, without it hitting the ground. It’s a skill that requires at least a fair amount of soccer ability. He made it look easy.
Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi said: “He can come and play with us.”
Wimbanyama left the court with his jersey on that night, smiling like anyone leaving an NBA court wearing one of his jerseys.
Wembanyama, Los Angeles Lakers‘ LeBron JamesMilwaukee colleagues Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, Miami‘s Jimmy Butler, Dallas‘ Luka Doncic and New York‘s Josh Hart They are just a few of the football-mad players in the NBA right now – following in the footsteps of former stars like Steve Nash, Goran Dragic, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and many others who starred in basketball but loved football. .
“Football players are more popular than NBA players,” Antetokounmpo said. “Way, way, way more popular.”
Inter Miami star Lionel Messi He went to the Miami game last season and heat The audience – accustomed to seeing celebrities at almost every competition – set out trying to figure out exactly where the celebrities were Argentina It was so cool they could take a photo. James got a piece of Liverpool In 2021, through its investment with Fenway Sports Group. Antetokounmpo became part owner of Major League Soccer‘s Nashville SC In 2023. Heat Keeper Josh Richardson He is in the process of investing in the team.
The connections between the NBA and football are many and growing.
“It highlights the impact we can have as players in the NBA,” Wimbanyama said. “It just reminds me of this responsibility that we have to do our best to make that impact a positive one. Overall, just bringing emotion to people and bringing it together.”
The NBA is looking at soccer, especially in Europe, closely. The way clubs there hold tournaments during the season was part of what convinced NBA commissioner Adam Silver that such an event would work in his league. The tournament, now called the NBA Cup, was an overwhelming success in its first two seasons.
Even now, with the NBA in talks with FIBA and other entities about new basketball cooperation in Europe, Silver points to soccer as an example of what could work.
“Having had such a long history of our work in sports leagues, largely in the United States and a little bit elsewhere, seeing what happened in Europe — not just in basketball but in soccer as well — gives us the opportunity to say,” Silver said. : “Okay, let’s take a fresh look at the most effective practices for creating a commercially viable league.”
the Tottenham They make it official Paris Saint-Germain fans. There is now a working relationship between the two teams; This week with San Antonio in Paris to play a pair of matches with Indiana PacersTottenham and Paris Saint-Germain collaborated on producing new merchandise together, and combined brands. Executives met to discuss best practices and that the exchange of ideas will continue moving forward — something mutually beneficial with Spurs now playing in France and Paris Saint-Germain coming to the United States later this year.
Victoriano Melero, CEO of Paris Saint-Germain, said: “This partnership represents a unique opportunity to combine our expertise in leadership and fan communication, and create unforgettable experiences for our fans.” He added: “With the Club World Cup in the United States next summer, we are paving the way for new initiatives that transcend borders.”
Butler considers many footballers, including Paul Pogba, his closest friends. He routinely greets football stars in the stands at matches, has a large number of shirts in his collection and follows many teams around the world.
He says there is a level of respect between football stars and basketball greats.
“What they do is very difficult, so it’s humbling for us to know that all we do is hand-eye coordination and all they do is foot-eye coordination, which is unlike any other game,” Butler said. “And on top of that, they really are the coolest people in the world. Above everything else, I think if the majority of them had to pick one other sport they wanted to play, it would actually be basketball.”
Associated Press report.
Want great stories delivered straight to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports accountand follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
National Basketball Association
Multilateral
UEFA Champions League
Get more from NBA Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
