We tell you about the madness in Bercy, between the mystery “Picsou Magazine” and the dizzying prices.
at the Paris Bercy Arena,
There are evenings when one naively thinks to enjoy a sporting event 100% like here first NBA game to live of our lives. But for 20 minutess, our common commitment to investigative work always reaches us. We barely arrived in the press room of the Arena de Bercy on Thursday, we see on the accreditation sheet that it becomes one of the best represented media at the NBA Game in Paris… Picsou Magazine, four people are expected. Something we’re curious about, especially since our Proust madeleine seats for reporters are placed closer to the court alongside NBA staff.
And yes, the kind of mystery that makes you put things into perspective Game between Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls LaVine (30 points)-DeRozan (26 points)-Vucevic (16 points) quickly twisted tension (108-126) by the class of the trio. Enlightenment will come to us eventually at the press conference Postgame footage from Bulls star Zach LaVine. In the middle of sixty or so sports journalists, a child suddenly takes the microphone humbly and spitefully: “When I play basketball with my club, I wear number 8 because you are my idol. And I wanted to know why you wear number 8 and who was your idol when you were my age? “.
The NBA’s trust in a 12-year-old
Also in the background was this beautiful crime scene between this guy and Zach LaVine, who was very moved by his statement. “Kamoulox” presence is strong Scrooge’s Journal causing back and crossover. Bingo! We go to interview the hero after the game with his father. ” It all started with a competition of small reporters… at Picsou Magazine, the latter explains. On the occasion of this NBA match, you had to write a 100-word article to introduce your favorite basketball player, and then wait for the draw. »
This is how Natan Robert (12), a player from Saint-Marseille in Marseille, hit the jackpot after spending an evening out with his father and two journalists, Jean-Baptiste Roux and Sébastien Floch. from a popular magazine. As a bonus, visiting beIN Sports and therefore attending the players’ press conference was highly appreciated by the NBA. “I was really stressed anyway because I usually see Zach LaVine on TV,” says the younger Marseillais. I had to give myself courage there. But I’m starting to think that being a journalist is good enough. » chief editor Scrooge’s Journal“NBA people were very cool because they immediately accepted that Nathan could ask a player a question without even knowing what to ask,” notes Jean-Baptiste Roux.
“100% NBA trip, but in France”
We could feel it immediately in this coolness of the American League organized from A to Z, or almost in this match in Bercy. Our press accreditation would never have allowed us to wander around the floor at a sports event in France at two o’clock after kickoff, seeing Bulls players analyzing the Pistons offense on the computer. Even the spectators have the opportunity to leave their seats in all their simplicity and get closer to the ground and potentially the stars (Magic Johnson, Tony Parker, Gerard Pique, Pierre Gasly…) scattered on Thursday evening.
“With the NBA, it’s not just about basketball, it’s about the show, it has an incredible aura around it. We feel that this is an American event and for us it is 100% an NBA trip, but in France”, explains Vincent (42), who came from Lyon with his son Quentin and received a hellish birthday present for his 11th birthday. this week. Because this NBA Paris Game involves a staggering budget for 14,700 spectators. Stand firm, prices range from 80 to 815 euros, even rising to 1,875 euros for those who want the ultimate experience, courtside (courtside) living.
The prices are much higher than what is seen in the NBA
Vincent explains: “I paid €400 for each of our seats and I remember attending a game in the 2012 NBA Finals between Miami and Oklahoma City that cost me over $200. At the same time, I would do the same when I saw the line of insanity on the outside. In this large crowd, which has to pay for the average ticket price of 500 euros, we even come across Israelis, Romanians and Poles who came to Paris for this match. It shows how the NBA’s rarity outside its borders drove these addicts to exploit Michael Jordan to heat up their credit card in the 1990s. Accompanied by his wife Marta and daughter Marcelina (age 9), Pole Arec knows he paid just $9 to attend a regular-season game in Atlanta a few years ago. “But there, we don’t need a visa to see the Bulls, Arec continues. And of course, even if we don’t have Jordan and Pippen anymore, we want to pass on our passion for Chicago to the second generation of the family.”
Silvain (38), who comes from closer to Seine-Saint-Denis, like many other basketball fans during Thursday’s transfer, while his son Tom (11) marvels at the lights and pregame entertainment. To him. “I was shaking when he approved the payment of 600 euros for both of us, but I told myself that this was once in my life,” he says. The opportunity really exists, they are the ones who come to us. Too bad if not ideal preparation for Tom at college before a Friday marked by a 7-hour alarm clock and three consecutive checks. “Oh, yes, dear, I completely forgot,” smiled the addicted child The Last Dance.
“It was a privilege to be a part of it”
Despite all the American-style shows and great tributes to former NBA legends, there was an inevitable sense of disappointment when all the fans started to leave Bercy at 11:30 p.m. Because the showdown between 10th and last in the Eastern Conference wasn’t as exciting as feared, and moreover, it was surefire from start to finish. Sebastian (30), who came from Romania with his friend, says: “We wanted to touch the atmosphere of the NBA match. Of course, we would have more fun with better teams in the league. But any NBA game is still better than all the basketball we’ve ever seen in our lives. »
Now, it condemns the clash between Cluj and Ploieşti, who are first and third respectively in the Romanian championship (well, we went to get that information). Finally, how did the players experience this experience, which remains very rare in an NBA player’s career? “It was a great atmosphere, DeMar DeRozan got a taste. It was a privilege to be a part of it. In a few years, we will understand what a wonderful moment it was. “Nathana will probably just need a nap to fully realize he’s not in the middle of a dream running into Zach LaVine.
