Grizzlies vs Magic London Game: NBA in London 2024

The game quickly goes the way of Memphis, with Ja Morant returning from 6 games of absence to put on the show, 24 points and 13 assists at the end. The enthusiasm at the O2 Arena in London, however, never wanes: the 18,424 spectators present are there for the show, it doesn’t matter if the Grizzlies beat Orlando 126-109 after having also been at +33 and more than 20 points ahead practically from the second quarter onwards. Fans from 62 different countries jump at every dunk, go “oooh” at every triple, applaud every assist. Because before their eyes is the NBA, the real one, and it’s not often you get to see it live in these parts. This is why the NBA continues to return to Europe every year after the first successful experiment in 2011, this is why since last season the regular season games on the continent have become two and from this year they are played in two different cities, Berlin last Thursday and London today.

ALL STAR GAME

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The enthusiasm of the fans is always the same. They are the heart-shaped eyes of Kimi Antonelli, sitting on the sidelines who exchanged shirts with Santi Aldama of Memphis before the match and then a chat with Tony Parker. It’s Thierry Henry’s gaze glued to the pitch, following the game even at +25, with Parker laughing sitting next to him. It’s the lady dressed from head to toe in Magic who squeezes into the narrow passage in front of the press gallery to catch, tripping twice, the shirt that fell from the ceiling with the parachute. “It’s for my children,” she says, almost crying after risking her safety to secure her trophy. They are the jerseys of all the teams appearing in the stands, the fans enjoying the unique opportunity to see live the authors of those highlights that populate their timelines on social media. These matches for Europe have become a true All Star Game, a date to mark in red on the calendar, for which to look for tickets. And it doesn’t matter if the Magic and Grizzlies don’t have any big-name superstars, except for Morant. The interest was so great that the tickets were burned in a few minutes and the screening of the match at the nearby NBA House was also sold out: an event designed for those who remained outside the O2 hosted the same number of spectators inside the arena.

INSPIRATION

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How much these games really matter, seeing the NBA live in Europe, was explained well to the Gazzetta by Toumas Iisalo, the Finnish head coach of Memphis. “Two years ago I was in Paris to see that year’s match, Nets-Cavs if I remember correctly – he said -. This is a great showcase for the entire league and for basketball in general. It’s not often you can see players of this level in Europe and it’s wonderful. I’m also speaking from a personal point of view: experiences like this, seeing the NBA and the players you like up close, give you more energy to chase your dreams.” It’s another reason why the NBA continues to return to Europe: Franz and Mo Wagner, two of the three Germans from Orlando, spoke in Berlin about how following their compatriot Dirk Nowitzki inspired them as much as the games in London they saw live before becoming pro. Maybe among the London crowd, the one who saw Morant remind everyone how great he can be and who stayed for the game despite it being decided practically at the end of the first quarter, there was the next superstar of world basketball.