The San Antonio Spurs 2026 Summertime European Invasion
Shortly after the NBA Finals in June of 2026, Victor Wembanyama returned to his home in France. He remained as active as a honey bee during his entire off-season time.
Between jet setting between Europe and the United States to participate in promotional events including the New York City Fanatics Fest he signed a five year $252 million contract extension with the San Antonio Spurs. Sharing the signing event with his family, his visiting Head Coach and other Spurs executives.
Victor found time to play pick-up games back in San Antonio with teammates, including the new free-agent player Tobias Harris. He also hosted a group of his Spur teammates in Paris, participating in camps, workouts, and a Spurs-NBA outdoor court dedication in his former French club of Nater.
He attended the annual Louis Vuitton events, sprouting his new French fashion designs and his multi-million dollar contract with the Louis Vuitton company.
Wembanyama even found time to work out with a French Rugby team Provence.
He was reported to have spent time vacationing with his family members on the beaches of Corisica before getting back to the basketball court.
On August 15, 2026 it was back to serious basketball business as Wembanyama began practice for the August 20, 2026 French National team contest against the Nikola lead Serbian team in a ‘friendly’ basketball game in Begrade Serbia. ( We sarcastically use the word friendly, as the Serbs take every basketball game with the utmost enthusiastic seriousness and winning is always foremost important.) Ticket prices and availability demonstrate the seriousness of the Serbian fans for the highly anticipated duel between Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama on European soil.
France vs. Serbia August 2026
Date: August 18, 2026
Title: Wembanyama’s French Team vs. Nikola Jokic’s Serbian Team
Serbia and France Meet in Belgrade: Wembanyama Arrives
Serbia and France play at Belgrade Arena on Thursday at 8 p.m. on August 20, 2026.
Victor Wembanyama spent the summer break on Corsica, and as soon as it ended he was back on the court with Guillaume Alquier, the coach whose job is to get him back into shape after a long and grueling season with San Antonio. L’Equipe reported on the sessions. The reason for the rush is in Belgrade: on Thursday, August 20, at 8 p.m., Serbia and France meet at Belgrade Arena.
The Basketball Federation of Serbia put a second batch of tickets on sale on Monday, August 17. The first batch sold a week earlier, at noon on August 10. Tickets are sold through the federation’s partner, Ticket Vision, both online and at all of its outlets
A second batch of tickets is on sale, prices range from 800 to 35,000 dinars, and Victor Wembanyama is confirmed for Belgrade.
Serbian Coach Dusan Alimpijevic has named a wider squad of 18 players, led by captain Nikola Jokic. Joining him are Nemanja Dangubic, Aleksa Avramovic, Dejan Davidovac, Ognjen Dobric, Jovan Novak, Marko Guduric, Nikola Milutinov, Luka Mitrovic, Dusan Ristic, Nikola Tanaskovic, Stefan Momirov, Arijan Lakic, Nikola Djurisic, Nikola Jovic and Mihailo Petrovic. Nikola Kusturica and Nikola Dzepina are making their senior national team debut.
The national team gathered on August 13, which means the squad will have a week of joint work behind it by the time it faces France, making Thursday as much a test as a showcase.
On the other side is a team that got through qualifying without much trouble even without Wembanyama. France is 5-1, a record built before the 22 year old center became available to coach Frederic Fauthoux. The French roster also includes Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert and Paris point guard Sylvain Francisco. Serbia sits at 4-2 in its group, competing against Turkey and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Both games against France are warmups, sandwiched between two qualifying windows for the 2027 World Cup in Qatar. The real stakes begin eight days after the Arena game.
- August 28, Serbia hosts Iceland at Belgrade Arena
- August 31, Serbia travels to Italy to play in Pesaro
After that, one more window remains, in late November, when Serbia also faces Lithuania. The top three teams from each group advance to Qatar, and with two losses already on the board, Serbia has little room for error if it wants to settle the question before the final round.
The pairing of names is what will fill the Arena. Wembanyama arrives in Belgrade as the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Jokic is the home captain, and a chance to see them share a court on this side of the Atlantic does not come often. A front row seat at 35,000 dinars is a serious sum even with all that in mind.
My take: a warmup game with a poster like this one carries the risk that both benches treat it as a practice run in front of a full house, with short minutes for the biggest names and long looks at players from the bottom of the rotation. Alimpijevic has more reason to care about Iceland in eight days than about France on Thursday, and that will show in how he splits the minutes. But for an hour and a half of basketball and one direct matchup between Jokic and Wembanyama, the Arena will be full regardless.
Tipoff is Thursday, August 20, at 8 p.m.
Accor Arena in Paris, France
By: Spurs.com
The Spurs have a unique history engaging with international basketball since joining the NBA in 1976. More than 50 international players have suited up for the franchise, including seven from France, and the team welcomed the NBA’s first-ever French jersey patch partner, Ledger, in 2025. The Spurs have made a purposeful effort to enhance the cross-cultural exchange between NBA basketball and international fans as part of the organization and league’s long-term commitment to growing the game globally, most recently hosting “Spurs Week Paris” in February 2026 and a Playoff watch party in Paris in April 2026. The January 2027 games will mark the Spurs sixth regular-season game in France and first regular-season game in England, in addition to seven preseason games played across Europe.
The San Antonio Spurs 2026-27 NBA Regular Season Schedule.
The 2027 San Antonio Spurs Schedule
Video Below
San Antonio Schedule European Games For 2027
Wembanyama Signs Contract Extention
In July 2026, Victor Wembanyama signed a five year 250 million contract Extention with the San Antonio Spurs.
Spurs 2026 France Summertime Vacation
NBA Free Agent Tobias Harris was signed by the San Antonio Spurs in July 2026
San Antonio Spurs 2026 - 27 Rookies
Four new rookies were added to the San Antonio Spurs 2027 organization. Frist round picks Jayden Quaintance and Tarris Reed Jr, along with Ja’Kobi Gullesespie and Maliq Brown.
NBA Expansion Planned For Europe
The NBA has been talking about expansion for years. The NBA has finally chosen a plan for its path to expansion, and it runs through Europe.
In this section is the NBA plans regarding expansion into Europe. There could be new basketball teams coming to Paris, London, Berlin and other big cities in the very near future.
Adam Silver says NBA Europe is “very much on schedule” for 2027-28. Final bids are due by the end of June. Franchise awards could come in the autumn. London and Manchester are firmly in the conversation. And the NBA’s line on EuroLeague has hardened: integration is preferred, but the league says it will move forward either way
NBA Europe to feature 16 teams, 12 permanent, 4 via qualification, Silver says.
NBA in talks with EuroLeague on integration but it will proceed independently if needed
NBA expansion in US also under discussion, with Las Vegas and Seattle as main candidates
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league remains on schedule to launch NBA Europe in October 2027, with final bids for permanent franchises due by the end of June and awards expected as soon as autumn.
The league has seen record interest in the proposed competition and the NBA is working closely with FIBA on the project, which would mark the league’s most ambitious international expansion, Silver told a press conference ahead of Game One of the NBA Finals.
“We are very much on schedule,” he said. “It is our hope and anticipation that the league will launch in the ’27-28 season in Europe. We are on track.”
The planned league is expected to feature 16 teams, including 12 permanent franchises and four additional spots available through a qualification process for clubs across Europe, Silver said.
The NBA’s push into Europe comes amid growing international influence on the league. Silver said roughly 15% of NBA players are European, including top stars like 22-year-old Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, who will lead the San Antonio Spurs against the New York Knicks in the Finals
EUROLEAGUE DISCUSSIONS ONGOING
The proposed NBA Europe competition would enter a market currently anchored by the EuroLeague, which encompasses most of the continent’s basketball powers, including Olympiacos, Real Madrid, Fenerbahce and Barcelona.
Silver said discussions with EuroLeague were continuing and that the NBA hoped to find a way to integrate operations with the existing competition. But he made clear the NBA was prepared to proceed regardless.
“It’s our hope that we can find a way to integrate these operations with the EuroLeague, but we will move forward either way,” Silver said.
According to Sports Business Journal, EuroLeague clubs would need to pay between $500 million and $1 billion for permanent NBA Europe franchises, though those commitments have yet to come.
OWNERSHIP QUESTIONS
Silver also said the issue of whether current NBA players could invest in NBA Europe teams remains unresolved and would need to be discussed with the National Basketball Players Association.
Victor Goes Rugby Rough
Victor Wembanyama Worked out with a French Rugby team Provence in the summer of 2026.
Date:
Title: A History of NBA In Paris
By: Doctor Dunkenstein
Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs are scheduled to play an NBA regular season game against the New Orleans Pelicans in Paris, France on January 14, 2027. Ticket prices and availability will b e scares and at a premium cost. However, this scheduled event is not the first time the NBA invaded France, the Chicago Bulls set the standard in 1997.
The 1997 McDonald’s Championship took place at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France. The Chicago Bulls won the tournament and Michael Jordan was named the tournament MVP
The teams that took part in the 8th edition of the tournament were the Chicago Bulls (USA), Paris Basket Racing (France), Olympiacos Piraeus (Greece), Atenas de Cordoba (Argentina), Benetton Treviso (Italy) and FC Barcelona (Spain).
Surprisingly, both the Italian and Spanish champions, traditional European powerhouses Benetton and FC Barcelona, lost their preliminary stage games and were forced to battle for 5th place. The Chicago Bulls instead led by Michael Jordan, and without Scottie Pippen managed to win their semifinal game against the hosts PSG Racing coached by Božidar Maljković, by 89–82. In the final game Chicago Bulls faced European champions Olympiacos Piraeus. The Greek side coached by legendary Serbian coach Dušan Ivković proved stronger than PSG Racing, but the Bulls pulled the best of their abilities and cruised to an easy 104–78 win.
The tournament was noted for having more than 1,000 journalists from 54 countries covering it, more than the previous NBA finals.[4] It was mentioned in an early episode of the documentary miniseries, The Last Dance.
Michael Jordan in Paris 1997
Paris & The NBA: A Long Time Affair
Please Support Our Online Projects
... consider a donation or a memorabilia purchase.
It helps immensely!
Please Share & Visit The Websites.
… this also helps!
Thank you.
Scroll To The Top
