William Saliba has become an integral part of Gunners’ squad since last season. Many laud him as one of the best defenders in the Premier League at the moment.
But recently, the Frenchman caused a stir on social media when fans spotted him wearing a Spurs jersey, leading to some amusing reactions.
Saliba posted a photo of him with celebrity chef Abdou Drame on his Instagram story. In the photo he posed beside the chef, giving him a signed Saliba shirt.
The chef was in his regular white uniform, but fans spotted the Bondy native wearing a white jersey that read ‘SPURS’.
In reality, it is the jersey of NBA team San Antonio Spurs. Luckily, they have no relationship with the Spurs of the Prem. Interestingly, Arsenal had competition from Tottenham to sign Saliba.
The duo met in London, who were part of a video shoot for Gaïndé Conciergerie. The French company offers a wide range of luxury services like private jets and also private chefs.
They also provide luxury cars, yachts and various different facilities. Drame is also a part of the company and works as a chef there.
Football players and Basketball
Saliba hasn’t shown any interest in basketball until this post. He seems to be a San Antonio Spurs fan. The reason for supporting a team which has the same name as the Gunners’ rivals is unknown.
Fans speculate that Tony Parker and Victor Wembanyama might be the reason. Tony is a retired French basketball player who played for Spurs. Victor is on a similar journey who is now the second French player to play for the NBA team.
The popularity of basketball has been rising among footballers. Saliba is not the only Frenchman who supports Spurs though. Former French national team and Arsenal star Thierry Henry is also a huge fan of the NBA team and was also seen wearing their black jersey back in 2016.
Henry watched a lot of basketball while growing up and was a big fan of Michael Jordan. Fellow Frenchman Tony Parker was active at the time and that’s when the French striker became a Spurs fan. When El Doctor moves to the US, Tony was the one who convinced him to make the move.
David Beckham is another basketball fan among the elite ballers. When he moved to LA Galaxy, the Englishman was often seen on the courtside for Los Angeles Lakers’ games. The fandom isn’t one-sided. Steve Nash, former Canadian basketball player, is a big fan of Tottenham Hotspur. His father and grandfather both grew up in Tottenham, so he ended up supporting their hometown club.
Pau Gasol was born in Barcelona, so it is no surprise that he is a big Blaugrana fan. The Spaniard was developed in Barcelona’s famed La Masia and later moved to the NBA. Luka Doncic is a Slovenian basketball player who played for Real Madrid, hence he also shares the same love for the football side.
