The Milwaukee BucksAnd Atlanta HawksAbu Dhabi will host two preseason matches in October. These are the first NBA games in the United Arab Emirates or the Arabian Gulf.
Both exhibitions will be at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, on Yas Island. The games were announced Tuesday by the NBA in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Tourism (Abu Dhabi).
These are the third and fourth preseason international games that are scheduled for next season.
The Golden State WarriorsAnd Washington WizardsAre heading to Saitama, Japan, for the games on Sept. 30 & Oct. 2. These will be the first NBA games outside North America since Jan. 24, 2019, when Charlotte and Milwaukee met in Paris for a regular season game six weeks before the global pandemic.
The NBA last traveled abroad for preseason contests in October 2019. In October 2019, Indiana and Sacramento were in Mumbai twice, Houston twice and Toronto twice in Saitama. Los Angeles LakersBrooklyn and Beijing played two games in China.
Training camps are usually opened a few days prior to the rest of league teams. Camps are expected to open on Sept. 26 for most teams, which would mean that the league could hold its opening night next year on Oct. 18, assuming that the schedule is as normal.
The Bucks-Hawks exhibits, billed as The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 20,22 are part of a multi-year partnership by the NBA and Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner was in Abu Dhabi in November for a multiyear agreement with the tourism officials.
This partnership also includes the launch of the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League earlier this year, a basketball league for youth between 11-14 years old. It is open to all students in Abu Dhabi schools.
The partnership also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness plus an NBA 2K League exhibition event at Middle East Film & Comic Con.