The NBA is expanding into the United Arab Emirates: As part of the preparation for the new season of the North American professional basketball league, two games between the reigning champions Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks will be played in Abu Dhabi on October 6th and 8th. The league announced on Tuesday.
Accordingly, the “NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022” will take place in the Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The first NBA games in the Emirates and Arabian Gulf are part of a multi-year agreement between the league and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi. Ticket sales are scheduled to start at a later date, and TV broadcasts are planned in more than 200 countries worldwide.
Bringing the Hawks and the Bucks to Abu Dhabi to superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is “an important milestone for the league and the growth of basketball worldwide,” said Ralph Rivera, managing director of the NBA Europe and Middle East.
Due to the corona pandemic, no preseason games have been held outside of North America since 2019. Previously there had been individual games in England, France, Mexico, Japan, China and India.