PARIS — Despite the cold weather on the streets, Tottenham forward Keldon Johnson is busy warming hearts.

At Wednesday's NBA Cares event, which included a basketball clinic for a group of French children, Johnson took wide-eyed attendees on a circuit, taking them and himself up and down the stairs of the AccorHouse Arena .

"He's gone gangster!" laughed one Spurs staff member, as the children enjoyed the unparalleled enthusiasm of Johnson's participation.

As Johnson and the kids walked back, the forward emerged with a young man on his back wearing a big knee brace and a big smile on his face.

"He scores a lot of points in my book," said one Danish media source.

Johnson's enthusiasm filled the stage, his voice often drowning out the music coming from the PA system. Several kids working out with Spurs teammates Blake Wesley and Sandro Mamuklashvili couldn't help but turn their attention to the 25-year-old Johnson's constant antics, which he and anyone on the court Still having fun.

When Johnson dropped the boy, who was wearing a knee brace, he ran several laps of the stairs, panting. A member of the Spurs team yelled, "You overestimated that guy, didn't you?" Johnson tried to answer the question, but gave up due to difficulty breathing and accepted the fact that he did answer.

The event capped off the San Antonio Spurs' public workouts and media coverage at the Paris Olympics.

Shortly before the NBA Cares event, Victor Wembanyama participated in a press conference where the topic of head coach Gregg Popovich, who suffered a stroke on Nov. 2, was discussed.

On Monday night, Wembanya took the team to dinner, emulating Popovich's custom when traveling on the road.

"Pop has his schedule here, so I know he's going to do something similar," Vunbanyama said. "It was important for me to do this on the first day as a welcome to my team. I know if I went to any country or city for these guys, I would love to know where they are from and get to know them better because They are good people and this is a real opportunity to share those moments.”

The superstar was also asked about the attention he receives and outlined that "you can't have one without the other," referring to his dream of becoming an NBA player and understanding that his high profile comes with what may not be as appealing obligations.

The 7-foot-5 center, who at this point is almost certainly mislabeled when called 7-3, has received intense media attention as he returns to Paris. Long after Spurs players left the court to make way for the Indiana Pacers, Wembanya was still conducting interviews around the arena.

Even if the soon-to-be All-Star wanted to monitor Indiana's practices, he doesn't have the mental bandwidth. After the last interview, he walked toward the tunnel, swaying slightly, almost as if he was readjusting himself.

For the open portion of the Pacers' practice, about 75% of the Spurs media members in attendance left, which certainly wasn't a problem for Indiana's coaches.

The decreased media interest in Spurs makes sense given the nature of the game and how Spurs have become a French team.

One player who was unaffected by this was forward Obi Toppin, who unknowingly mimicked Johnson's enthusiasm, cracking jokes and displaying high energy.

The Pacers' game ended a little too quickly in the early afternoon - again, as expected - further emphasizing the fact that this is all about the Spurs - and Wembunyama in particular.

That's obviously fair, but it would almost be a disservice not to note that Indiana has won 14 of 18 games since Dec. 13 and currently sits in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

In many ways, Wembunyama's return to Paris overshadows the Olympics itself.

The Pacers are on a hot streak, while the Spurs have struggled to find their footing recently, especially from an offensive standpoint, while losing six of seven games.

These matchups are very important for both teams.

The Spurs will obviously be trying to get back on track heading into the second half of the season, while the Pacers are trying to keep their momentum going.

Both have the same goal—to win—but different motivations. Of course, that's assuming Keldon Johnson can catch his breath, which should lead to two thunderous games.