AFP with Martin Lange 7:50 a.m., January 20, 2023

Paris hosted this Thursday an audience of stars for the meeting between the Chicago Bulls and Detroit, at the Accor Arena.

A dream for many spectators, who attended the NBA game with stars in their eyes and witnessed the triumph of the Bulls, led by the trio of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine.

The Chicago Bulls beat Detroit (126-108) Thursday in the hall of Paris Bercy, filled and won over to their cause during the second game in the history of the North American Basketball League (NBA) relocated to France.

Full sound system, top French basketball players, NBA players who have become legends: the American-style "show" was on the agenda at Bercy.

A dream come true for the spectators - there were 15,000.

"It reminds me of memories of when I was a kid, so sharing a nice NBA game with my son, it will stay", confides to the microphone of Europe 1 David, a forty-year-old.

In the stands, many stars: Joakim Noah, tricolor basketball star, Naomi Campbell or Gérard Piqué, who made headlines because of his stormy separation with Colombian Shakira.

The Pistons, they were a little less at the top of their form.

Clumsy (40% in shooting), too individualistic in attack and friable in defense, the players of Detroit, a franchise with three NBA titles (1989, 1990 and 2004), were quickly overtaken by the Bulls, led by their trio made up of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine (72 points between them).

The Pistons, in full reconstruction for several years, still offered real opposition to the Bulls in the last quarter, in vain.

The score remained in Chicago's favor, and followed the logic of the Eastern Conference standings, where Chicago is tenth while Detroit is last.

Hayes misses

Highly anticipated by spectators, the French leader of the Pistons Killian Hayes did not shine (four points, two out of fifteen on shots, eight assists), no doubt nervous for his first NBA game at home.

Winner to the applause meter during the presentation of the players just before the match, the 21-year-old player (1.96m), who is applying for a place in the France team at the World Cup (August 25-September 10), never returned to his game. 

"He was so excited, I was afraid he would force," regretted his coach Dwane Casey in a press conference after the match.

"He missed many shots that usually come in recent months."

"It's frustrating, it just wasn't my day," reacted the Frenchman.

"I would have liked to do better, but we are moving on to Monday's game (against Milwaukee, editor's note)."

Best player in the history of French basketball, Tony Parker had perhaps paralyzed Hayes before the meeting by throwing to him, at the microphone: "Killian, you have to be sure tonight."

Parker wasn't the only basketball star to step onto the floor decorated with an Eiffel Tower for the occasion.

The French Mickaël Piétrus, Ronny Turiaf, Joakim Noah and the Americans Ben Wallace and especially Earvin "Magic" Johnson were applauded by Bercy.

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But the real star of the evening was undoubtedly the Bulls franchise, which was still able to measure its popularity outside the American borders, built during the years when it was worn by Michael Jordan.

Great rivals in the 90s, Bulls and Pistons have lost their splendour, but their presence in Paris is still a major event for French basketball.

Bercy vibrated, Chicago won, the stars of the Bulls shone.

An American evening before the return of the spectacular NBA next year to the French capital?

"Probably," his boss Adam Silver said on Wednesday, on the eve of the game, already calling this year's operation a "success".