Spurs, Pelicans to play in Paris, Manchester in 2027 - ESPN

The San Antonio Spurs and French star Victor Wembanyama are returning to Paris for a regular-season game in 2027.

The NBA announced Wednesday that the Spurs will face the New Orleans Pelicans in Paris and Manchester, England, on Jan. 14 and 17 next season.

In January 2025, the Spurs split a pair of regular-season games with the Indiana Pacers. Wembanyama was the focal point in the Spurs' last trip, which he called «amazing» and «incredible» at the time.

«It's an incredible honor to make our return to France and play our first-ever game in England, given the strong embrace we've felt from the community and fans across Europe,» Spurs CEO RC Buford said in a statement.

This will be the first overseas regular-season games for the Pelicans, who played the Houston Rockets in a pair of preseason games in China in 2016 and preseason contests in Europe in 2008.

«We are grateful to be part of the NBA's continued international growth efforts, and we are excited to help grow the game globally and connect with new generations of basketball fans,» Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said in a statement.

This season, the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic played in Berlin and London in January, with each team winning one contest.

The NBA has played five regular-season games in Paris and will be making its regular-season debut in Manchester. The NBA said last year that it planned to play at least six regular-season games in Europe from 2025-26 to 2027-28. The games in the 2027-28 season will take place in Berlin and Paris.

«Playing games in Paris and Manchester reflects the strong momentum we're seeing for basketball and the NBA in France, the UK and across Europe,» NBA managing director, Europe and