- Slug: Sports–Suns Popularity France, 800 words.
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By David Bernauer
Cronkite News
LILLE, France – A large swath of fans in Lille gather along portable barricades outside the Team USA hotel, L’Hermitage Gantois, hoping to catch a glimpse of the towering men’s basketball players boarding the team bus to Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
“DBook I’m Your Biggest French Fan,” says one sign carried by Axel Grégoire, a local resident.
“I love this team, and I love Devin Booker and Team USA,” Grégoire said before the team’s recent game against Puerto Rico. “I’m very grateful because I look (at the NBA app) all day during my year, and now it’s here in Lille, in my city. So it’s very, very nice.”
Ever since the 1992 “Dream Team” featuring Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the NBA has become an ever-expanding phenomenon around the world, and its individual teams are no exception. Thirty-two years later, one can find Suns fans strolling the streets of Paris and Lille where USA Basketball is playing and practicing. This year’s team features two Suns, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and will look for its fourth straight victory in a game against Brazil Tuesday.
On Friday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told the Associated Press that the NBA has had discussions about starting its own basketball league in Europe.
Lillie, a picturesque city 130 miles north of Paris known for its popular street markets and world-class museums, is representative of European cities that have come to embrace the NBA.
On this day, it’s clear how much the fans appreciate that USA Basketball and Phoenix’s stars made the trip here. Valerio Guerra, who traveled from Italy, brought up the devastation of Phoenix’s 2021 NBA Finals loss to Milwaukee multiple times.
“I followed this team on NBA TV,” Guerra said. “I really like the spirit of the organization, and I supported them during the NBA Finals, 2021 in the rivalry against the Milwaukee Bucks. KD is one of my favorite basketballers since he started with the Seattle SuperSonics. I really like the style of Devin Booker, his spirit, how he plays.”
Durant, acquired in a franchise-altering trade in February 2023, and Booker, the 13th overall pick in the 2015 draft, have been able to keep eyes glued to the hardwood with their graceful style of play. The Phoenix Suns, along with the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, are the only teams with two or more representatives on the roster.
“It’s always nice for them to represent the NBA,” said John Damasco, an attorney from San Diego who came to see the Suns’ star duo suit up for USA Basketball. “But besides that, Booker has always been the top dog, ever since he played in the NBA Finals. And Kevin Durant, there’s nothing else better.”
Of course not every fan rooting on the Suns can establish their fandom’s ties to Booker or Durant. The Suns have had four French players in franchise history: Boris Diaw, Mickaël Piétrus, Elie Okobo and Theo Maledon. The most popular of these is Diaw, who played in the Valley from 2005 to 2008, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award in 2006.
Steph Ravu, a fan from Paris who made a three-hour trek to come to see the USA versus Puerto Rico game, originally became a Suns fan when Diaw was traded to the team. Through failed Finals ventures, losing seasons, poor draft selections and finally a taste of success, he’s still here 20 years later. Finally, he has a chance to see Booker and Durant play.
“I mean, I love them. They are one of my favorite players in the NBA, to be honest,” Ravu said. “Devin Booker, I didn’t expect too much from him when he got drafted, so it was a nice surprise back then. That’s really nice to see him grow and become a superstar. Basically, that’s kind of a dream come true for me to see these guys play in France.”
Others who have been fans since the mid-2000’s are ecstatic to have made the journey out to Lille to cheer on a new generation of superhuman Suns talent. Phoenix native Steve Ho, who now lives in the Bay Area, says his favorite player growing up was Steve Nash.
“I grew up in the Seven Seconds or Less Steve Nash era, so, like, all the 2000’s, amazing,” Ho said. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity! I never thought I would be here doing this, and it’s cool to be around everyone, around the world, to come and be in one place. It’s super awesome.”
The jerseys of LeBron James or Michael Jordan may be the most popular when walking along the streets of Paris or Lille, but it’s safe to say the Suns have carved out their own fair share of the French fanbase.
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