"It's very possible that he'll be the face of basketball. Not just NBA basketball, but world basketball," said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.

The story, as Buford tells it, goes like this: Claudio Crippa, an international scout for the Spurs, proposed going to see a youth game before checking out Doumbouya. Buford saw Wembanyama play for the first time that day. And the seeds for the Spurs’ new master plan were immediately planted.

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.