Dhe Astroballe Arena stands like a spaceship in the middle of the gray urban canyons of Lyon’s suburb of Villeurbanne. A block of concrete covered with white metal plates. Its futuristic design gives an idea of how many architects, at least in the 1990s, imagined the future of architecture. And on a Tuesday evening in March, inside you can see how, 30 years later, at least many basketball fans imagine the future of basketball.
It’s the night that Victor Wembanyama plays in Lyon with the Metropolitans from Paris. The steep grandstands are full. It’s always like that when Wembanyama and his team compete anywhere this season. Like a future rock star who, shortly before his breakthrough, is touring through the country’s small clubs again. Everyone wants to catch a glimpse of the one that will soon fill the big arenas.