NBA To Host Games In London, Mexico
By Mike Dyce
For the first time in NBA history, two regular season games will take place outside of the United States and Canada in the same season.
On January 16th London will host a regular-season NBA at the O2 Arena as part of the NBA Global Games London 2014 the league announced Tuesday. THe game will feature the Brooklyn Nets taking on the Atlanta Hawks.
“We are very excited to once again represent the NBA in London,” Nets general manager Billy King said in a statement, via ESPN. “The fans have always been very supportive, and we look forward to once again entertaining them with Brooklyn Nets basketball.”
“Playing in London will be a special experience for our players and coaches, and we are proud to represent Atlanta in front of an international audience,” Hawks president and GM Danny Ferry said in a statement.
This is the 12th game London has hosted since 1993.
This trip will be the Nets’ third to London. They played a preseason game there in 2008, and two regular season games against the Toronto Raptors in 2011. This is the Hawks first time playing a regular season game overseas. In 1993 the Hawks played a pair of preseason games in London.
The NBA also announced that the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves will play in Mexico City on December 4th. No word yet on whether they’ll wear their “Los Spurs” Hispanic Heritage Month jerseys.
“Given the deep-rooted Mexican heritage of San Antonio and our proximity to the Mexican border, Mexico City is an ideal location for us to play our first regular-season game outside of the United States and Canada,” said Rick Pych, the Spurs president of business operations.