The National Basketball Association, more commonly known as the NBA, is a sport that is followed from all corners of the planet. For some, there might be a significant difference in time to contend with to watch your favorite teams and stars, but such is the passion for the sport, this does not necessarily prove a barrier for fans outside of America.
The NBA teams also recognize the need to branch further out and increase their presence in different parts of the world. For fans outside of America, who are also likely to be backing their teams on NBA markets at Cloudbet, a game could be coming to you in the coming years. That is because the NBA Global Games will continue its tour of foreign territories with dates and games announced for this year and next.
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Pre-Season travel to Abu Dhabi
When the preparations for next season get going, the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets will have a trip to Abu Dhabi to look forward to in October. For two matches on the 4th and 6th of October, the likes of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will face off against Nikola “The Joker” Jokić and Jamal Murray in the Etihad Arena.
The NBA has been taking pre-season games to Abu Dhabi since 2022, when the Milwaukee Bucks played the Atlanta Hawks. Over the past years, the Gulf state has extended its influence on sports hosting, and it almost seems a default location for big events to take place in. High-profile boxing matches, UFC fights, and Formula One racing are just a couple of other sports that visit Abu Dhabi regularly.
Before Abu Dhabi popped up on the radar of sports associations, the NBA would split its pre-season visits between Japan, China, India, and Brazil, with Taipei, Philippines, United Kingdom, France, and Mexico also favored destinations.
Pleasure of Paris in 2025
However, once the regular season kicks into gear, Paris and Mexico City will welcome the NBA into their cities. While the game in Mexico City has yet to be confirmed, we know that the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs will do battle in the Accor Arena in Paris. Both these cities have been regular visits for the NBA, and you have to go back to January 2019 when a non-French or Mexican city hosted a regular season match. In this year, London played host.
While there are some mainstay cities for the NBA, there is always the chance teams could visit completely new territories or hold more international matches. While the NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, has eyes on having a franchise in Mexico and Canada, the popularity of the NBA on a global scale means that any major city can be a target for matches. For next year, fans in Europe of Indiana and San Antonio might not have to wake up in the early hours of the morning to watch their teams play.