Jan. 24: Victor Wembanyama steals the show in Paris; Nikola Jokić makes NBA history

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When your homecoming turns into your own personal Paris playground.

Wemby put on a show in Round 1 of the Paris Games, with Round 2 tipping off tomorrow (12 ET, ESPN) to open a stacked Saturday slate.

Also in today’s (packed) edition: Jokić and one of his most mind-blowing shots ever, All-Star starters, an exclusive look at the top jersey sales this year, a preview of Saturday’s huge slate, big Ws for LA and Dallas & more.

5 STORIES IN TODAY’S EDITION

Jan. 24, 2025

ASG Starters Revealed: A mix of all-time greats, MVP candidates and a New York duo

Historic Homecoming: Wemby’s unforgettable performance at the Paris Games

Hot Threads: Which superstar leads the 1st half of the season in jersey sales?

Jokić Did What?! A 66-foot buzzer-beater and a stat line seen only once before

What’s Next: Friday night Rivals set the stage for Saturday’s epic hoops marathon

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Thursday’s scores, Friday’s slate and a special Saturday…

Three games tip off tonight, highlighted by a Rivals Week matchup between Ja Morant’s Grizzlies and the surging Pelicans (8 ET, NBA TV).

Then, an epic Saturday slate gets underway, starting with Wemby’s encore in the second of two NBA Paris Games between the Spurs & Pacers (12 ET, ESPN).

The can’t-miss action continues Saturday afternoon with the season’s first trio of ABC matchups: Nuggets-Wolves (3 ET), Celtics-Mavs (5:30 ET) and Lakers-Warriors (8:30 ET).

1. 2025 ALL-STAR GAME STARTERS UNVEILED: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

It’s official: The 2025 NBA All-Star Game starters pool is set.

Revealed last night on TNT, the 10 players selected as starters – 3 frontcourt players and 2 guards from each conference – will take the floor on Sunday, Feb. 16, at Chase Center in San Francisco for the event’s first four-team, three-game mini-tournament.

How It Worked: Fans accounted for 50% of the vote, with current players and a media panel splitting the other 50%.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić led the East and West in fan votes, respectively, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (West guard) and Donovan Mitchell (East guard) joined them atop their respective position groups.

What are more standout stories?

All-Star King: LeBron James added to his record for most All-Star Game selections, earning his 21st — every one consecutively and as a starterWest Legends: Joining LeBron in the West are his fellow NBA OG’s, Kevin Durant (15th appearance) and Steph Curry (11th)KD Climbing: With his 15th selection, Durant ties Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan for the fifth-most all-timeShai’s Streak: Joining Curry in the West backcourt is the Kia MVP Ladder leader Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who earned his second straight ASG start and his third straight appearanceKAT & Brunson: In the East, Knicks teammates Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson each earned their first All-Star Game startsNY History: The last Knicks duo to start in an All-Star Game? Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe in 1974-75East Leaders: Meanwhile, Mitchell and Jayson Tatum represent the top two teams in the East in Cleveland and Boston

The 14 All-Star reserves, selected by NBA head coaches, will be unveiled Thursday, Jan. 30. The 24 All-Stars will then be selected into three eight-player teams, joined by the Castrol Rising Stars champions as the fourth squad.

2. A HISTORIC HOMECOMING: WEMBY WOWS IN PARIS GAMES

In his first NBA game on native French soil, Victor Wembanyama lit up the City of Light.

Spurs 140, Pacers 110: In a dazzling display, Wemby turned in 30 points on four 3s along with 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks, as San Antonio recorded a season-high in points and assists (43) to outpace Indiana in the first of their two matchups in the Paris Games. | Recap

The Spurs are France’s most-watched team on League Pass, but Wemby made sure to deliver a show in person for his home country.

Splashing a 32-foot triple to get the party startedSwallowing up shots before finishing lobs at the other endThrowing down dunks over defenders as the Spurs built their leadRunning the floor and dropping dimes in transitionDoing it all with an off-the-backboard oop to himself to punctuate the win

By the final buzzer, Wemby was the first player in NBA history to record 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, 5+ assists and 5+ blocks in a game outside of North America – fueling the Spurs’ first game with 140+ points and 40+ assists since 1990.

Legendary Heights: It was Wemby’s fourth career game with such a stat line, tying Tim Duncan for the 2nd-most in Spurs history while trailing only David Robinson (11)And A Friendly Reminder: The 21-year-old has only played in 108 career gamesDive Deeper: Hours before Wemby took center stage, Tania Ganguli of the NYT wrote about how Wemby’s embracing his spot in the next generation of NBA stars“One of the best complete games I’ve seen him play all season long,” said Chris Paul on Wemby’s showing. “With the expectations, being home, in front of all his family and friends.”

On The Ground: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the first Paris Game through our all-access cameras, capturing all the buzz from courtside views to postgame reactions.

Arriving In Style: It’s also fashion week in Paris, and the Pacers went all out on their pregame fitsCelebrity Row: Countless NBA legends and celebs showed out for Thursday’s showdownPSG Reactions: PSG players were loving Wemby’s fútbol handles that went viral: “He can play with us sometime.”Wemby’s Postgame Thoughts: “The atmosphere was great … It was dope. The win is on the fans as well.”

Up Next? Round 2: The Spurs and Pacers will play their second and final game in Paris to tip off Saturday’s stacked slate (12 ET, ESPN).

3. CURRY LEADS 1st HALF JERSEY SALES, C’s TOP MERCHANDISE LIST

The top-selling jersey of the 1st half of 2024-25? Steph Curry’s. The NBA’s all-time 3-point leader is on pace to lead NBAStore.com jersey sales for the second straight season.

The top five players in jersey sales are rounded out by LeBron James, Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brunson and Victor Wembanyama.

Some other highlights?

Electrifying Guards: The Wolves’ Anthony Edwards (No. 6) and the top scorers on the top two NBA teams, OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 11) and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell (No. 15), all make their debut on the top 15 listBrunson Boost: In just his second appearance on the list, Brunson leaped from No. 15 at the end of 2023-24 to No. 4 through the 1st half of this seasonAll-Star Starters: Nine players on the list have been named starters for the 2025 NBA All-Star Game

For merchandise sales, the defending champion Celtics stand atop the list for the first time since 2008 – the last year they won the NBA title. The Lakers, Knicks, Warriors and Bulls round out the top five.

Six teams on the list will be in action tomorrow on ESPN and ABC as part of a packed Saturday slate, beginning with the Paris Games (12 ET, ESPN).

4. THURSDAY ROUNDUP: JOKIĆ MAKES HISTORY & MORE

Nikola Jokić is no stranger to rewriting record books, seemingly making the unprecedented possible on a nightly basis.

And on Thursday, the habitual history-maker painted one of his greatest masterpieces yet – posting a stat line that hadn’t been seen in 56+ years.

Along with a shot for his all-time reel.

Nuggets 132, Kings 123: In his NBA-best 20th triple-double of the season and the 150th of his career, Jokić went off for 35 points, 22 rebounds and 17 assists – numbers only rivaled once before – to lead Denver past the surging Kings. | Recap

Jokić & Wilt Alone: Jokić joins Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history to record 35+ points, 20+ rebounds and 15+ assists in a gameFor The Ages: And as dominant as Wilt was, he only pulled it off once (Feb. 14, 1968: 35 pts, 24 reb, 15 ast)Special Player, Special Plays: Just how remarkable was Jokić’s night? This nonchalant 66-foot heave at the buzzer pretty much sums it up ⬇️Can’t Miss: While the crowd couldn’t believe it, the Joker had no doubt: “I knew it was going in.”

More Legendary Company: In the win, Jokić also joined Oscar Robertson (5) and Russell Westbrook (4) as the only players in NBA history to record a triple-double 20+ times in three or more seasons.

Effortless Efficiency: Did we mention it was the Joker’s 5th straight triple-double? All of which have been recorded before the 4th quarter, marking the longest such streak since 1997-98“Historical,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone on Jokić’s recent stretch. “And the most important part is we’re 12-3 in the last 15 games. So these numbers are translating to wins.”

Mavericks 121, Thunder 115: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams each went for 30+ points, but P.J. Washington dominated the paint (22 pts, 19 reb), while Spencer Dinwiddie (28) and Kyrie Irving (24) added 20-pieces to knock off OKC for the second time in seven days. | Recap

Series Statement: With the win, Dallas takes the season series over OKC 3-1, and it’s the only team to beat the Thunder multiple times this season“He Got The Bounce!”: Despite the loss, one lucky OKC fan walked away with $20K for nailing a half-court shot

Lakers 117, Celtics 96: Anthony Davis notched a game-high 24 points, while LeBron James added 20 points and 14 boards to power the Lakers to a statement victory over the defending champs in an iconic rivalry. | Recap

Bucks 125, Heat 96: Damian Lillard (29 pts, 11 ast) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (25 pts, 12 reb) each posted big double-doubles as the Deer beat the Heat for their fifth straight dub, improving to 8-2 in their last 10 outings. | Recap

Blazers 101, Magic 79: In his first game back since Dec. 6, Franz Wagner led the Magic with 20 points, but the Blazers got the win behind Anfernee Simons, who dropped 21 in his return home to Orlando. | Recap

Clippers 110, Wizards 93: James Harden (17 pts, 12 reb, 13 ast) passed Wilt for 8th on the all-time triple-double list (79), while Norman Powell (22) and Kawhi Leonard (15) combined for 37 points as the Clips earned a wire-to-wire win over the Wizards. | Recap

Warriors 131, Bulls 106: Golden State’s bench poured in 83 points while Steph Curry added 21 in a big Warriors win over the Bulls in the Bay. | Recap

Raptors 122, Hawks 119: The Raptors are roaring. Scottie Barnes (25 pts) led seven Toronto players in double figures as the Raps outlasted the Hawks for their fourth W in five games. | Recap

5. UP NEXT: FRIDAY NIGHT HOOPS & A MUST-SEE SATURDAY

Rivals Week continues Friday with Ja Morant and the Grizzlies hosting CJ McCollum and the Pelicans (8 ET, NBA TV), setting the stage for Saturday’s epic finale.

Alongside the second and final matchup of the Paris Games, Saturday caps off Rivals Week with an ABC tripleheader featuring three must-see rematches.

Nuggets at Wolves (3 ET, ABC): Last year’s West Semis needed seven games to determine a winner, as Anthony Edwards and Minnesota ended Nikola Jokić and Denver’s title defense on their home floor.

Saturday’s Stakes: After a 119-116 win on Nov. 1, the 8th-place Wolves aim for a 2-0 series lead over the 4th-place Nuggets, who hold a 5-game edgeMile High: But Denver’s playing some of its best ball of the season, with nine wins in its last 11 games – eight of which have come by double digits – with a red-hot Jokić leading the way

Celtics at Mavericks (5:30 ET, ABC): A 2024 NBA Finals rematch, which saw the Celtics win in five games to raise banner No. 18. Now, the two squads will meet for the first time since Boston’s confetti shower.

Consistent C’s: Despite a 5-5 stretch, the defending champs have owned the No. 2 seed in the East since Oct. 30 and boast the third-best point differential in the NBA (+8.8)Mavs In The Hunt: Meanwhile, 7th-place Dallas has remained in West contention despite being without Luka Dončić since Christmas DayOne Reason Why? Kyrie Irving, who’s averaging 27.8 ppg in that span

Lakers at Warriors (8:30 ET, ABC): LeBron James vs. Steph Curry – it doesn’t get much better than this. The last time the two legends met was on Christmas Day, delivering fans the gift that keeps on giving with another classic duel.

#NBAXmas Rewind: Curry went for 38 points on eight 3s, but James was just as spectacular (31 pts, 10 ast), and Austin Reaves dropped in a last-second game-winner for a Lakers dubEven Split: It was the 24th regular season matchup between Curry and James. Their records? Both 12-12Neck & Neck: Curry owns the better all-time record in the duel (29-24), including a 17-12 mark in the postseason. But James is 10-8 against Steph since joining the Lakers, including a 4-2 series win in the 2023 West Semis