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Zach LaVine’s Paris Masterclass Along With Fun Game Against Legends Joakim Noah & Tony Parker Makes F1 Star Fall in Love With NBA

Published 03/01/2023, 6:45 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

In January 2023, the NBA returned to Europe for the first time since 2020, premiering a match between the Chicago Bulls and the Detroit Pistons in Paris. Zach LaVine, with his magical performance, almost single-handedly got the Bulls their win, thanks to his 30 points out of the team’s total 126 over the Pistons’ 108. 

The match was star-studded as several celebrities, such as Pharell Williams and Gerard Pique, joined the audience alongside NBA greats like Magic Johnson, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, Tony Parker, and Joakim Noah. But on top of the icing, Charles Leclerc, Pierre Gasly, and Esteban Ocon, too, were present during the evening. Certainly, our beloved F1 stars are in love with the magic of the action-packed game, before which they had also played a game of ball with Noah and Parker!

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Speaking about his experience alongside fellow drivers, Charles Leclerc, on Beyond the Grid podcast, said, “I really, really like going there and watching the show. And the fact that they had a game in Paris, I was there too. So that was the perfect occasion to go. Again, I’m not following all the season, but whenever I’m in the US, I’m trying to go and see a game.”

“We had great fun. Yeah, we went to see the game, all of us three. We were sat next to each other so we could speak Formula One mostly because I think Esteban also had a similar knowledge about NBA, which is not much.”

READ MORE: “The Game of F1”: Ferrari Outplays Mercedes’ Innovation as Veteran Frederic Vasseur Shuts Down the Noise

Crazy enough, the Ferrari driver went to the match right after he completed his three-day training camp in Italy. And it certainly was a crossover that we all loved seeing.

Charles Leclerc chooses his basketball GOAT

The biggest debate in any sport is that of the GOAT. Differences of opinion lead to clashes and debates, as in basketball as well. While many prefer Michael Jordan as their GOAT, a new school of thought prefers LeBron James as their GOAT.

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So, when Leclerc was asked in an ESPN video to pick a side, the driver unhesitatingly went ahead with Michael Jordan, despite LeBron breaking the record for scoring the most points in the NBA recently.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Charles Leclerc & Carlos Sainz Achieve Rare F1 Feat With Colossal Disney Lightyear Collaboration 

Nevertheless, Leclerc wouldn’t have to explain his side given the stature of Jordan, who once had Pierre Gasly fanboying over him during a dinner during last year’s Miami Grand Prix. 

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Written by:

Manan Goel

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Manan Goel is a Formula 1 author at EssentiallySports. As a literature student at Delhi University, he had been a geek for fiction and a nerd for sports. He claims Sebastian Vettel was his first love after seeing him at the Indian Grand Prix, and he has been a fan of the sport and Red Bull ever since.
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Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai