Nanterre basketball players at Paris La Défense Arena, act 3! Even if there are still a few details to settle, to refine, and signatures to affix at the bottom of the documents, the information should soon be made official. After a first visit in 2018 then another in 2023 – in front of 16,319 spectators, a new attendance record for a championship match of an indoor sport in France – the Nanterre club will return to the immense hall located in the extension of the Arche de la Défense. The usual lair of Racing rugby players and numerous concerts or spectacular shows and the largest indoor venue in Europe. The meeting is scheduled for the end of February.
News that many were waiting for and that Nanterre President Frédéric Donnadieu had hinted at the end of the 2nd edition last March. “Despite the 20-point defeat (Editor’s note: 61-82), the spectators left happy, as if we had won. It’s a magnificent human adventure and it makes you want to come back. » Promise kept! The manager even wants to perpetuate this event every season.
After having hosted Asvel twice, Pascal Donnadieu’s players should this time change opponents and face Monaco. A prestigious opponent. The Roca Team will present itself with its cohort of stars, led by the French international Élie Okobo or the Americans Mike James and Kemba Walker (four times All-Star in the NBA), and its maous budget (more than €21 million) . Third in the last Final Four of the Euroleague and candidate for the coronation this season, Monaco should attract many basketball fans.
Another change, this third meeting should – unlike the two previous ones which were held on a Sunday afternoon in March – take place in February and week, on a Wednesday evening. A necessary modification due to the Monegasques’ overloaded schedule and the unavailability of the room on certain weekends.
