The NBA will head to Paris for the January 24 edition of its global games, an exciting way to kickstart 2020—particularly for this French sports expert. I’ll be there. And if you will be, too, here are two basketball-related events for your agenda:

January 21, 19h30 – The NBA’s French Connections at The American Library in Paris

10 rue du Général Camou, 75007 Paris

More information & registration here.

Join me as I discuss the NBA’s French connections, why France has become one of the leading international pipelines for the NBA and WNBA, and the role that basketball diplomacy plays in this interesting equation. This talk is part of my larger Basketball Empire book project looking at this hidden story of the NBA’s globalization. In English.

Brush up with some of my earlier work on the France-USA basketball nexus:

“French Basketball, From Cain to Batum,” The New Yorker, May 2015

“France’s Love Affair with Basketball,” CNN International, November 2015

“Joie des Hoops: The Hidden Story of Franco-American Diplomacy,” Washington Post, April 2017

“The Cleveland Cab Driver’s Son who Sowed the Seeds of a Basketball Revolution,” The Athletic, August 2018.

“The NBA’s Top Overseas Prospect is Following a Legacy,” VICE Sports, September 2018

January 22, 14h00 – The Power of Sport Act 2 Roundtable at the Mairie du 5ème

21 Place du Panthéon, 75005 Paris

Program information & registration here.   

Following up on last February’s roundtable on the power of sports diplomacy at New York University, the next edition of the Sport & Démocratie “The Power of Sport” roundtable will be held at the Mairie du 5ème. I’ve been part of the Sport & Démocratie club for several years, and enjoy how it works to further dialogue within the global sports space. This year, I’m thrilled to return to the roundtable concept, joining Youcef Ouldyassia as co-moderator for a dynamic basketball panel that includes NBA Vice President Amadou Gallo Fall, NBA Director of Operations Morgan Cato, and French Basketball Federation (FFBB) President Jean-Pierre Siutat. The afternoon’s line-up also includes a deep dive into African basketball with Sport & Démocratie president Sylvère-Henry Cissé and Fall (who is also the founder of SEED Project), a keynote on sports diplomacy from my CISD-SOAS colleague Dr J Simon Rofe, and other discussions on the global sports scene helmed by Olympian Gévrise Emane and Dr Boris Helleu. In French with portions in English.