While in Paris, Wembanyama has chosen to focus on engaging with French media to help connect with the French audience. His three exclusive interviews were all with French companies, including Picsou Magazine — a children’s magazine he used to read when he was younger.

Despite being only the third player to average 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and four blocks per game, Wembanyama was not named a starter. The only other two players to record those numbers in a season were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Hakeem Olajuwon.

Thursday's game was proof of concept. Wembanyama will soon be the NBA's signature star, and sending him to Paris for a few games every year is a chance to build one of these signature events around his growing fame and eagerness to please his hometown audience. His presence made all of the difference on Thursday.