The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT Abu Dhabi) announced on Tuesday that United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the first two league games in the Arabian Gulf in October 2022.
The meetings will be preseason, while the participating teams and the venue are yet to be confirmed after a multi-year agreement which takes up, after the pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, the strategy of the NBA to take more parties away from their borders.
“This agreement marks an important milestone in the continued global growth of basketball,” said Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner, in a statement sent by the League.
“It will create opportunities for boys and girls to learn the fundamentals and essential values of the game through various training programs and fan events,” he added.
The agreement includes, in addition to hosting two preseason games, interactive fan events featuring NBA players and legends, the launch of Jr. NBA leagues for boys and girls in UAE schools that will promote teamwork and inclusion, as well as series of encounters to promote health and wellness, and an NBA exhibition event 2K League, the virtual league of the NBA.
The announcement further demonstrates the emirate’s position as a premier venue for global sports and attracting top talent.
“Adding the NBA to our impressive annual portfolio of sporting and entertainment events only reinforces the UAE capital’s position as a center of sporting excellence. We expect the NBA to play an integral role in developing young talent and styles of healthy lives ”, expressed HE Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of DTC Abu Dhabi.
In addition, this collaboration will make DCT Abu Dhabi, through the ‘Visit Abu Dhabi’ brand, the tourism promotion initiative of the UAE capital, an official tourism partner of the NBA in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and China.
