By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-01-22 14:28:55
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
1月21日，星期二，在巴黎南部的勒谢奈-罗康库尔，圣安东尼奥马刺队的文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)为一座篮球场揭幕，并与当地青少年见面。（美联社照片/Thomas Padilla）
巴黎——文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)本周早些时候抵达巴黎，他最大的愿望就是让他的马刺队队友在他的祖国度过一段美好的时光。
他问自己一个问题：格雷格·波波维奇会怎么做？
然后，文班的答案是：请全队共进晚餐，并自己买单。
“在第一天就这样做对我来说很重要，”文班谈到周一晚上在巴黎市中心举行的奢华晚宴时说道。“这是我对球队的欢迎。我知道如果我去这些队友的国家或城市，我会很乐意去了解他们来自哪里，更好地爱上那里。”
如果其他马刺球员在本周与印第安纳步行者队的两场比赛后离开法国时，对这个国家及其文化没有更深的了解，那绝不是因为文班的努力不够。
马刺队在法国的第一部分行程，都在追溯这位21岁球星通往圣安东尼奥的道路。周一抵达后，马刺队在南泰尔进行了训练，这是文班在法国开始职业生涯的地方。
周四上午，他们计划在马塞尔·塞尔当体育宫进行投篮训练，这是文班在参加2023年NBA选秀之前，效力于大都会92队的最后一个赛季的比赛场地。周四晚上，他们将在雅高体育馆迎战步行者队，去年夏天，文班曾带领法国国家队在这里获得了奥运会银牌。
在此期间，马刺队的几名成员陪同文班前往勒谢奈，这是文班出生、成长并以篮球为伴的巴黎郊区。
“他出色地完成了欢迎我们来到他家乡的任务，”马刺队首席执行官R.C. 布福德(R.C. Buford)说道。
自从球队专机周一下午降落在戴高乐机场以来，文班对祖国的自豪感就显而易见。
周三，在从球队酒店前往雅高体育馆进行训练的巴士上，控球后卫克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)说，他了解到的法国历史比他想象的要多得多。
1月21日，星期二，在巴黎南部的勒谢奈-罗康库尔，圣安东尼奥马刺队的文班亚马运球，为一座篮球场揭幕。（美联社照片/Thomas Padilla）
“我们谈到了卢浮宫是什么时候建成的，以及为什么要建造它，”保罗说。“可能因为我年纪比较大，所以我对此很感兴趣。”
到了周四晚上，文班将暂时放下巴黎最高导游的工作，重新回到为他支付晚餐账单的工作中去。
马刺队将在周四和周六与步行者队进行两场比赛，他们迫切希望能够阻止三连败的颓势，这使得他们的战绩跌至19胜22负，这是他们本赛季以来胜率最低的时刻。如果周四再次失利，他们将遭遇本赛季的首次四连败。
作为马刺队的得分王、篮板王和盖帽王，文班明白，他将在马刺队跨越大西洋的复苏之路上扮演至关重要的角色。
周三训练结束后，他出席新闻发布会时，脸上带着 unmistakable 的严肃表情。
“我现在处于职业心态，”文班说道。“尽管这次旅行对我个人来说意义重大，但我对我的球队和教练负有责任。”
尽管如此，文班仍然很乐意让马刺队的队友们体验一下成就他的这片土地。
“他的脸上容光焕发，”自波波维奇2月初轻度中风以来一直担任马刺队代理教练的米奇·约翰逊(Mitch Johnson)说道。“你能看到一个人对自己的家乡和成长经历充满了自豪。他分享这份热情令人感动。”
马刺队巴黎之行的核心是周二前往勒谢奈，文班在那里出席了该市为一个室外篮球场剪彩的仪式，这个球场就挨着他小时候第一次投篮的体育馆。
文班不仅参与了这个项目，实际上，整个项目都是他的主意。
“当他知道我们要来巴黎时，他说，‘我想做的第一件事就是为我长大的地方的孩子们建一个球场，’”布福德说道。
这个想法的种子五个月前就在总经理布莱恩·莱特(Brian Wright)的办公室里播下了。
“我记得文班在一个白板上，把你今天看到的球场的每一个细节都画了出来，”莱特说。“他全身心地投入到设计中。”
马刺队的慈善机构“马刺给予”与勒谢奈市合作，共同完成了这个耗资50万美元的项目。勒谢奈市市长理查德·德勒皮埃尔(Richard Delepierre)周二也出席了仪式，与文班一起为球场揭幕。
完成这个项目并非易事。
需要拆除旧的球场，设计方案也必须经过层层审批。为新球场预留的土地距离凡尔赛宫大门只有3.5英里，这增加了政府监管的难度。
距离马刺队与步行者队的比赛只有几个月的时间，在法国一年中天气可能不合作的时候，施工必须继续快速进行。
不知何故，这一切都及时完成，赶上了周二的揭幕仪式。
“除了他巨大的篮球天赋之外，维克多似乎还具有一定的说服力，”德勒皮埃尔说道。
周二的仪式结束后，马刺队的成员们聚集在一起拍照，笑容满面的文班走到布福德身边。
“他说，‘我从没想过我的朋友、我的团队和我的家人会一起出现在勒谢奈，’”布福德说。
尽管周三新闻发布会上表情严肃的文班希望在法国一切如常，但周二笑容满面的文班知道这根本不可能。
他要带领大家参观。也许这样也很好。
对文班来说，带领队友们参观这座成就他的城市，让马刺队的巴黎之旅在第一场比赛开始之前就取得了成功。
“他们为我出现的方式，他们对我希望他们发现的一切的回应，这一切都意义非凡，”文班说道。“这是他们能给我的最好的礼物。”
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama watches a ball as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama holds a ball as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama poses as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, center, and teammates pose as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama meets residents as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama reacts as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama delivers a speech as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Victor Wembanyama de los Spurs de San Antonio en la inauguración de una cancha de baloncesto, el martes 21 de enero de 2025, en Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, Francia. (AP Foto/Thomas Padilla)
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
San Antonio Spurs forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (54) passes the ball as Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, left, and forward Nikola Jovic (5) defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
点击查看原文：For Spurs' Victor Wembanyama in Paris, it's all work and some play
For Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama in Paris, it’s all work and some play
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama meets youths as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
PARIS – Victor Wembanyama touched down in Paris earlier this week with an overarching desire to show his Spurs teammates a good time in his home country.
He asked himself a question: What would Gregg Popovich do?
Then Wembanyama answered it by taking the team to dinner and footing the bill.
“Doing that on the first day was important to me,” Wembanyama said of a swanky Monday night meal in the heart of Paris. “It was a welcome to my team. I know if I went to any of these guys’ country or city, I would love to find out where they come from, to learn to love it better.”
If other Spurs depart France this week after a pair of games against Indiana without a deepened appreciation for the country and its culture, it won’t be for Wembanyama’s lack of trying.
The Spurs have spent the first part of their week abroad re-tracing their 21-year-old star’s path to San Antonio. Upon their arrival Monday, the Spurs practiced in Nanterre, where Wembanyama first cut his teeth as a professional in France.
Thursday morning, they were scheduled for a shootaround at the Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan, where he played his final French season with Metropolitans 92 before entering the 2023 NBA draft. Thursday night, they will face the Pacers at Accor Arena, where Wembanyama guided his French national team to a silver-medal finish at last summer’s Olympics.
In between, several members of the Spurs’ traveling party accompanied Wembanyama to Le Chesnay, the Parisian suburb where he was born, raised and reared on a steady diet of basketball.
“He’s doing a great job of welcoming our program to his home,” said R.C. Buford, the Spurs’ chief executive officer.
Wembanyama’s pride in his home country has been evident since the team plane touched down and Charles de Gaulle airport Monday afternoon.
On the bus ride from the team hotel to practice at Accor Arena on Wednesday, point guard Chris Paul said he learned more French history than he thought possible.
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama dribblesl as he inaugurates a basketball court, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025 in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, south of Paris. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
“We were talking about when the Louvre was built and why it was built,” Paul said. “Probably because I’m older, I appreciated it.”
Come Thursday night, Wembanyama will take a break from his gig as Paris’ tallest tour guide to return to the job that pays the dinner checks.
The Spurs enter the double dip Thursday and Saturday against the Pacers desperate to halt a three-game losing skid that has dropped their record to 19-22, the farthest below .500 they have been all season. Another loss Thursday would give them four in a row for the first time this season as well.
As the Spurs’ leading scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker, Wembanyama understands he will play a vital role in the Spurs’ attempt at recovery across the Atlantic.
He arrived at a news conference after Wednesday’s practice sporting an unmistakable game face.
“I’m in my professional mind set,” Wembanyama said. “Even though this (trip) is something big for me personally, I have a responsibility to my team and my coaches.”
Still, Wembanyama has enjoyed giving fellow Spurs a taste of the proving grounds that have made him.
“His face lights up,” said Mitch Johnson, who has been the Spurs’ acting coach since Popovich suffered a mild stroke in early February. “You see someone who has a lot of pride in where he’s from and his past experiences growing up. His passion to share that is something to behold.”
The centerpiece of the Spurs’ trek to Paris has been Tuesday’s sojourn to Le Chesnay, where Wembanyama was on hand as the city cut the ribbon on an outdoor basketball court adjacent to the gym where he took some of his first fledgling jump shots as a kid.
Wembanyama was not only along for the ride on the project. In fact, the whole thing was his idea.
“When he found out we were coming to Paris, he said, ‘The first thing I want to do is build a court for the kids where I grew up,’ ” Buford said.
The seeds of the idea were first planted in the office of general manager Brian Wright five months ago.
“I remember Victor going on a white board and literally drawing every single detail of the court you see today,” Wright said. “He put his heart and soul into designing it.”
The Spurs’ charitable arm, Spurs Give, partnered with the city of Le Chesnay on the $500,000 project. Le Chesnay mayor Richard Delepierre was on hand Tuesday to help Wembanyama dedicate it.
Completion of the project was no slam dunk.
There were old courts to remove and design plans that had to make their way through layers of red tape. The parcel of land set aside for the new courts was located 3 ½ miles from the gates of the Palace of Versailles, which added to the level of government oversight required.
With mere months before the Spurs were set to arrive for their games against the Pacers, construction would have to continue apace at a time of year when the weather can prove uncooperative in France.
Somehow, it all came together in time for Tuesday’s unveiling.
“Beyond his immense basketball talents, it seems that Victor possesses a certain capacity for persuasion,” Delepierre said.
As members of the Spurs organization gathered for photos after Tuesday’s ceremony, a beaming Wembanyama sidled up to Buford.
“He goes, ‘I never dreamed I would have my friends and my team and my family all together at Le Chesnay,’ ” Buford said.
As much as the stone-faced Wembanyama of Wednesday’s press conference wanted things to be business as usual in France, the grinning Wembanyama of Tuesday knew it never could be.
He had tours to lead. And maybe that’s OK.
For Wembanyama, showing his teammates around the city that built him has made the Spurs’ trip to Paris a hit before tipoff of the first game.
“The way they showed up for me, the way they responded to all I wanted them to discover, it means everything,” Wembanyama said. “That’s the best gift they can give me.”
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News