On May 31, Paris Saint-Germain FC won its first UEFA Champions League Final, besting Inter Milan in a 5-0 beatdown. French fans everywhere, but especially Parisians, celebrated the win all over the world, and even top athletes from other sports got swept up.
In large part thanks to Victor Wembanyama, French Basketball is rivaling even soccer, and their silver-medal winning squad boasted eight current or former NBA players, including two New York Knicks, Evan Fournier and Frank Ntilikina.
Ntilikina was picked eighth overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by New York and spent four seasons playing in the Big Apple. After growing up in France, he followed soccer from a young age.
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Ntilikina never found much NBA success, and he averaged 4.2 points and 1.7 assists for Les Bleus during the Olympics. He currently plays for Partizan in the Adriatic and Euro Leagues.
He took the time to watch Paris Saint-Germain beat Inter Milan and relished the moment.
Paris enjoyed goals from Achraf Hakimi, Désiré Doué (twice), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Senny Mayulu.
In the past, Paris has fielded superstars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham, Neymar, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappé.
Mbappé, the captain of the French National Team, signed with Real Madrid before the season and lost to Arsenal in the semifinals.
Paris, usually a powerhouse, has always fallen short in UEFA play despite its reputation. However, most of the goal-scorers against Inter Milan were under 20 years old, suggesting that the club has a bright future ahead of itself.
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