Antoine and Christophe are clear on when the NBA and basketball virus entered their bodies. "It was with the DreamTeam of Barcelona92," acknowledges the first via video call from New York.
That team made such an impact on these journalists that they ended up dedicating themselves to telling everything that happens around this league. Christophe, with his portal Basket-Infos, and Antoine as a collaborator in French media.
The lives of both Frenchmen led them to coincide in New York. Covering Regular Season games, Playoffs, or the All-Star events, they experienced firsthand the NBA experience: contact with players, games, or playing pickup games in the best stadiums, like the ones the league organizes for the press during the All-Star weekend.
In 2017, they came up with the idea of extending those NBA experiences to other fans like them. Not as journalists, but with a thematic trip around basketball. "We wanted to go from telling NBA stories to making them possible for others," explains Antoine.
After partnering with a travel agency, in 2018 they organized their first trip: a group of thirty French fans spent several days in New York. "We wanted to do one or two trips a year to see if the concept worked," he comments. Now they organize more than fifteen.
In the Big Apple, they had their first fan experience: access to players, tickets to several games, pickup games, or free throws in the arena. Both remember that first time and the faces of travelers who had trusted them to fulfill their dream.
Before, they had to make countless arrangements for the teams to let them do what they wanted. "We didn't use our contacts as journalists," Antoine assures. For their work as reporters, they spoke with the Press; for the trips, with other departments.
"We had to convince the team officials that we were able to bring a number of fans," he adds. And then maintain their reputation. They did it through their passion for basketball: "You have to be passionate about this, without that, it's impossible."
In 2019, they created their own agency, Tripdouble, specialized in this type of trips. They increased the number of expeditions until the coronavirus grounded the agency. "We saw the magnitude of the pandemic when the NBA shut down," he says.
They managed to save the company thanks to the aid from the French government, which mitigated the economic blow. This allowed them to reactivate the transfers, which include flights and hotels in city centers, as well as a package of activities around basketball.
Their reputation among the teams endorsed their expansion to more franchises. "Everything boils down to three words: passion, professionalism, and payment," Antoine says with a laugh. From the Knicks and the Nets, they have moved on to teams like Chicago, Boston, Lakers, or Golden State Warriors.
"Most of our clients are between 20 and 40 years old," he explains. "Many are from the generation that grew up watching LeBron and Curry," he adds.
Basketball-related activities have also expanded. They still have tickets for several NBA games and pickup games in stadiums, but the games have expanded to legendary street courts like Venice Beach. The experience is complemented with tours of graffiti dedicated to Kobe in Los Angeles or NCAA games, the college league.
With the agency established in France, they decided to expand to Spain: "It's a way to close the circle that started with Barcelona92." For Spanish fans, they have scheduled trips with José Manuel Calderón and Aday Mara, one of the best Spanish players in the college league.
Although visits are carried out throughout the season, there are also some themed ones, such as Christmas or Curry's tour in New York. "We buy the tickets at the beginning of the season, that way we get the best prices," explains Antoine.
In most cases, three or four games are guaranteed. Still, some fans buy more. "A couple, for example, rented a car to go to Boston and back to New York in a day. It's all about passion," he adds with a smile.