the All Star Game program, with Wembanyama but without the stars of Monaco
The National Basketball League is organizing its traditional All Star Game at Bercy this Thursday. If the phenomenon Victor Wembanyama will be there, several stars of the French championship will be absent from the festivities due to a Euroleague match.
35 years after a first edition in Limoges in 1987, the LNB is doing its show this Thursday at the Accor Hotels Arena in Paris-Bercy, on the occasion of the All Star Game. An emblematic event of the basketball season in France, the match between the best French players in the French championship and a team made up of foreign stars from the Betclic Elite will provide a great highlight for the hexagonal basket.
A beautiful program
While waiting for the All Star Game itself – the kick-off is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. – the spectators present at Bercy will enjoy several competitions staged by players from the French championship. After a duel between several leaders during the Skills Challenge, the best gunners of France will oppose each other and start the qualifications of the three-point competition. The match between the tricolor and foreign selections will then begin.
During the break between the first and second quarters, the award-winning shooting specialists will decide in the final of the 3-point contest.
At halftime of the clash between the stars of Betclic Elite, it will be time for the spectacular dunk contest. Finally, the break between the third and fourth quarter will result in a shot at 100,000 euros. A spectator will thus be able to touch the jackpot by scoring a basket from the middle of the field.
Wembanyama already star at home
New star of the French basket, Victor Wembanyama is already promised a bright future on the other side of the Atlantic. While waiting for his departure to the NBA where he acts as the favorite to become the first choice of the next draft, the Metropolitans 92 player will therefore play his first (perhaps the last for a long time) All Star Game and participate in the competition at three points. At only 18 years old, the prodigy unsurprisingly won the public vote, which could choose a player from each team (France and foreigners).
“I didn’t really think about it but let’s say that, having the objective of winning the matches and performing, it was predictable, revealed the young player from Boulogne-Levallois to the press this Wednesday. […] Like any contest, the goal is to win and as a shooter it’s an opportunity to challenge yourself. It’s interesting.”
Victor Wembanyama is therefore already the announced star and his appearances will be controlled: his media speeches within the framework of the All Star Game have been stalled for several days. He’s only expected to speak to reporters if he’s voted the game’s MVP or if he wins the contest by three points.
And the main interested party to specify his desire: “I have no objective for this match, apart from victory. I’m going to try to have fun, to play a good game but I don’t want the “We shoot on a show machine only. Above all, I want to win, I’m going to warm up well and I’m going to make passes and then we’ll see.”
A match in full during the Euroleague
The star Victor Wembanyama will be there but several other major players of the Betclic Elite will be missing during this day of the All Star Game. Due to a calendar problem between the LNB and the Euroleague, the Monegasques Elie Okobo and Mike James will not be at Bercy this Thursday.
Instead, the leaders of Roca Team will challenge Zalgiris Kaunas for their 16th match of the European season (7pm). Hugo Benitez (Bourg-en-Bresse) and Michael Stockton (Pau-Lacq-Orthez) will replace them on the floor.