Projected No 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama on court for NBA Paris

Projected No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama led a star-studded group of celebrities onto the court at the NBA’s annual trip to Paris.

French phenom Wembanyama is the unanimous projection to become No. 1 in the 2023 draft and saw the Detroit Pistons early, one of the teams that has some of the best lottery odds to land it.

Wembanyama was mobbed for photos before kickoff, but he wasn’t alone, as Lakers icon Magic Johnson and singer Pharrell Williams also took their courtside seats.

The French phenom was a man in demand as he was hounded for photos before the tip-off.

Lakers legend Magic Johnson (left) and singer Pharrell Williams (right) were also in attendance.

Williams and Johnson watched as the Pistons and Bulls played an end-to-end first half.

Formula One trio Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon attended the Pistons’ showdown with the Chicago Bulls, with rapper Lil Baby and TikTok star Khaby Lame among other familiar faces.

British supermodel Naomi Campbell was also photographed looking stunning, sporting oversized sunglasses and a red and white jacket for the occasion as she watched from the court.

Meanwhile, former Barcelona and Spain soccer player Gerard Piqué, who has been in the headlines this week after his ex-wife, singer Shakira, posted a song about him, put the drama behind him to enjoy the game.

British supermodel Naomi Campbell was also photographed looking stunning while sitting courtside.

Formula One trio Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon and Charles Leclerc (LR) were in attendance

Former soccer player Gerard Piqué left behind the drama of his personal life to enjoy the game

Singer Aya Nakamura also looked glamorous for the NBA’s visit to the French capital.

But no one proved quite as popular as the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama, and a queue formed for a photo with the 19-year-old.

French NBA legend Tony Parker, a four-time NBA champion, addressed the crowd along with Pistons star Killian Hayes and Bulls center Nikola Vucevic before the game.

It had been a busy week for the Pistons as they seemed to have their entire roster in place.

Pistons rookie Jalen Duren made sure not to miss the annual European trip, even though it wasn’t easy for the center.

Rapper Lil Baby was also seen present at the Pistons’ matchup against the Bulls.

Singer Aya Nakamura (left) was glammed up for the NBA’s annual trip to play in Europe.

Former Bulls star Joakim Noah (center) sat next to Tony Parker (second from right)

Injured Bulls guard Lonzo Ball donned navy blue to watch his teammates in action in Paris.

The struggling Detroit Pistons faced the Chicago Bulls at the Accor Arena in Paris.

Duren was conspicuously absent from a photo taken of the Detroit team in front of the Eiffel Tower earlier this week, and James L. Edwards III of the Athletic reported that he was, in fact, stuck in the US after losing his passport.

Detroit bosses worked around the clock to get him to France in time for Thursday’s matchup with the Bulls, which took place at Accor Arena.

Ultimately, he started on the bench after missing several games with an ankle problem that has yet to be fully resolved.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver gave French NBA fans a boost by revealing that the league will return to Paris once again in 2024.

Paris took over the responsibility of hosting the NBA Europe game from London on XXXX and following talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Silver expects to return within 12 months.

“We told (Emmanuel Macron) yesterday that, apart from the Olympic Games (Paris 2024), we will most likely return to Paris next year for a regular league game,” Silver said.