NBA in Paris: An Experience my Younger Self Only Thought Happened in Dreams

By Caroline King, Statistics Freshman

When I was in 5th grade, I came home from school every day and grabbed a bowl of ice-cream and my iPad to watch the highlights from the previous night’s basketball games—college and NBA. I sat for hours, fascinated with analyzing the statistics and style of play of the games.

Eight years later, I stood in the Accor Arena in Paris, France, reporting on the Chicago Bulls vs. Detroit Pistons game.

If you had told my fifth-grade self that would happen her freshman year in college, she would have thought that you were joking.

Wrapping the entire experience into a word is: dream.

From seeing the famous Eiffel Tower in person, to playing pickup basketball at the bottom of it with French locals, this program was everything I had dreamed of and more.

I grew up traveling a lot with my family. My dad is a pilot, so traveling was always accessible to us. When I was three, my family even temporarily moved to Sitges, Spain for my dad’s job. Therefore, this study abroad experience seemed exciting. However, I had never gone on a study abroad program. So, beyond excitement, I also felt nervous.

Because my dad is a pilot, I fly stand-by. In other words, I get on a flight only if there is room for me. Well, there wasn’t any for my planned departure flight.

At the last second, the flight many of my classmates were on ran out of seats. I was left behind in Atlanta. That experience taught me a lot about travel and choosing the right attitude in the situation instead of panicking. After an additional layover in New York City, I made it to Paris just a couple of hours late.

Because I am freshman, I knew I was the least qualified on this study abroad program. All I had was my passion and knowledge for basketball. Therefore, I went into this experience ready to learn and absorb from everyone around me. Many of the other students were involved in experiences that were exactly what I wanted to do in life, so I gained a lot of knowledge from them.

This program propelled me into exactly what I want to do professionally in my life. It offered a great perspective of being able to see the basketball culture in another country.

What taught me the most was playing basketball with French locals at a park at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. They treated me with such kindness, and I was able to learn so much about their culture through that experience, which is something I would not have been able to do without reporting in another country. If we had reported at a game in the United States, I wouldn’t have been able to fully understand the significance of having this game in France.

Overall, this study abroad program shaped my idea of basketball’s influence on other cultures. It allowed me to get an experience into what I truly want to do in life. It allowed me to grow and understand the world of sports reporting, especially sports reporting in a different country with a different culture.

From trying out different food places, to viewing sporting arenas, to reporting before the game, I gained so much knowledge from this experience.

Fifth grade Caroline would be freaking out right now.

Posted: March 13, 2023
Category: NBA in Paris
Tagged as: NBA in Paris, Paris, sports, Sports@CJC, Study Abroad, Study Abroad experience