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The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will host two preseason games in Abu Dhabi in October, the NBA’s first games in the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf.
Both exhibitions will take place at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, on October 6 and October 8. NBA announcing the race In partnership with the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism on Tuesday.
These are the third and fourth known international preseason games on next season’s schedule.
The Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards travel to Saitama, Japan, on September 30 and October 2. It will be the NBA’s first game outside of North America since Milwaukee and Charlotte met on Jan. 24, 2020. He played a regular-season game in Paris about six weeks before the global pandemic began.
The last time the NBA went abroad for a preseason game was in October 2019, when Sacramento and Indiana played two games in Mumbai, Houston and Toronto played two games in Saitama, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn played two games in China.
Teams traveling overseas for preseason games are usually allowed to open training camps a few days before the rest of the league. Most teams expect training camp to begin on Sept. 26, assuming the schedule goes ahead as usual, which would put the league on track for next season’s opening night on Oct. 18.
Dubbed the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022, the Bucks-Hawks exhibit is part of a multi-year partnership between the NBA and the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism.
NBA vice president Mark Tatum traveled to Abu Dhabi in November to sign a multi-year agreement between the league and local tourism officials.
The partnership includes the launch earlier this year of the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls aged 11-14 in schools across Abu Dhabi.
The partnership also includes a variety of interactive fan events, including appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event at Middle East Film and Comic Con.
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