PARIS – Detroit security guard Rodney McGruder had never seen anything like it. He walked into the foyer of the Paris Opera House, then stopped and looked up to stare in silence at 19th-century artwork.
Finally he spoke.
“It’s different,” McGruder said. “That’s incredible.”
That was exactly the reaction the Pistons wanted to give their players on this journey.
The Pistons and Chicago Bulls face off in Paris on Thursday night, though that journey — across six time zones for the Pistons, seven for the Bulls — is about much more than just basketball. It was an immersion in French cuisine, wine and culture, a little bit of nightlife, a little bit of fashion, even a little bit of business. Everyone saw the Eiffel Tower, everyone saw the Champs-Élysées, but both teams decided they couldn’t come to Paris and make every effort to seize the opportunity.
And fans in Paris, which is ramping up for the Summer 2024 Olympics, have been where the Bulls and Pistons went.
“I can’t understand what they’re talking about,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan. “But there seems to be gatherings and crowds.”
Both teams had the requisite trips to the Eiffel Tower, as well as a basketball clinic on Wednesday for about 50 French school-age girls.
“These kids don’t get as much opportunity to see us in person, so it’s great for them and great for us,” Bulls center Nikola Vucevic said. “It means a lot to them and we try to give back as much as we can and make the time when we can.”
There were events centered around the unveiling of murals depicting both teams, as well as a trip for some to an event in Roland-Garros – home of tennis’s French Open. Some members of the Bulls delegation were expected to visit the US embassy on Tuesday, and some members of the Pistons group on Wednesday. And the Pistons decided they wanted a private party with some of the best Parisian highlights including art, ballet, food, drink and opera.
So owner Tom Gores and vice chairman Arn Tellem spearheaded plans for a night they hope the 200 or so members of the Pistons’ touring party will not forget.
“I think the most important thing for us in general, whether it’s business or basketball, is bringing families together,” Gores said as guests took in the art and the sounds of the music. “For us as a culture, that means the most.”
A simple sign on the fence in front of the Opera House on Tuesday read “Fermeture Exceptionnelle”, which translates to “extraordinary closure”. It wasn’t said why. A few passers-by on the sidewalk on a cold night wondered who was in the fleet of buses bringing the well-dressed group of people to the event – particularly those who were perhaps slightly larger than the usual operatic crowd.
Inside, the Pistons had the place to themselves.
There were sounds of a violin and a cello, an opera singer appearing on the grand marble staircase just after the event had started and her sound filling the entire room, ballet dancers in the gold-topped foyer with 19th-century artwork, more opera singers there and then finally a final homage to The Phantom of the Opera – written more than 100 years ago and set in what Parisians and aficionados around the world call the Palais Garnier.
“It’s great to be able to show my culture a little bit,” said France’s Killian Hayes of the Pistons. “Although I didn’t grow up in Paris, I spent a lot of time here. It’s fashion week here and everyone is really enjoying it.”
Hayes had never been to the opera house before and, like everyone else, marveled at the sights inside. So did Pistons coach Dwane Casey, who described it as a unique night. For his wife Brenda, it was a night 25 years in the making. She was in Paris briefly once, had tickets to the Opera House and never actually got to see inside – the performance was canceled that night.
The view she had on Tuesday was perhaps a little more spectacular than what she could have had 25 years ago.
“Slightly better,” Casey said, laughing.
It was two nights before the Paris game, about halfway through a tough season of losses and injuries, and none of that mattered to the Pistons for a couple of hours. They got dressed, took countless photos and videos and stayed until the last note was sung.
The plan was to create a memory. And it happened.
“It’s a very special night,” Tellem said. “When we came here the whole idea was to create some goodwill in the world. So we did it to provide an evening to remember, one that we hope the players and their families will take with them forever.”
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