The NBA has had a rise of French players and they expressed their support for their countrymen in light of the terrorist attacks that killed about 150 people.
The San Antonio Spurs have two of the best players France ever prodcuced in Tony Parker and Boris Diaw. Diaw aired his sentiments via Twitter. Some of the other notable French players like Nicolas Batum of the Charlotte Hornets and Alexis Ajinca of the New Orleans Pelicans have also made their statements.
Clint Capela of the Houston Rockets, a Swiss national who grew up in Paris, aired his emotional statement when he learned about the attack on his city on ESPN
“It hurts me a lot," Capela said prior to the Rockets' game against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.
"It was last year, the same thing happened," he added, referencing the January terrorist attack on satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher grocery that left 20 dead, including the three attackers. "That's hard for me because this is like my country because I grew up there. I have relatives up there in Paris, a city like that, means a lot. I have some cousins over there, family. It's really bothering me. I'm really sad about that, that's hard."
The NBA on its part, issued a statement and heightened security on all game venues, as one of the places attacked was a football game. The statement read:
“In light of the ongoing hostage situation in Paris, all arenas should be on heightened alert and engage law enforcement for intelligence or support. We do not have reason to believe the events in Paris are related to NBA, however, we cannot be too careful in ensuring we are taking proactive measures.”