Japan’s Rui Hachimura and France’s Killian Hayes have a chance to play in front of their home fans as the NBA Global Games resumes next month after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pre-season competitions are scheduled for Japan and Abu Dhabi, while Paris and Mexico City will host regular-season games as the NBA, with nearly 70 percent of its social media followers outside of the United States, sends in Superstars to wow its global audience .
“We are so excited to bring our live games back to our fans around the world,” NBA Assistant Commissioner Mark Tatum told AFP on Thursday.
“It’s a way for us to bring cultures together, bring people together and bring our fans together.”
Although NBA game coverage last season was viewed by fans in 214 nations and in more than 50 languages, Tatum says the return to live overseas games is “an important part of our business strategy.”
“For hundreds of millions of fans around the world, there’s nothing quite like going to an NBA game, and we want fans to experience the game live.”
The NBA, with 25 percent players from outside the United States, felt teams could comfortably and confidently return overseas this season after a two-year hiatus due to Covid-19.
“It’s been very difficult with the pandemic over the past two years,” Tatum said. “Our number one concern is to have games where we can do them safely and securely.”
The NBA, which had 97 percent of players and 100 percent of employees vaccinated, consulted with doctors, medical specialists and officials in each city before setting the global schedule.
“We have learned as the world has learned to move on with Covid and this is the right time,” Tatum said. “We are capable of bringing the games back. We are confident that we can keep everyone safe and healthy.”
They include the Milwaukee Bucks, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Atlanta Hawks, who will play the first NBA games in the Arabian Gulf when they meet in Abu Dhabi on October 6-8 for preseason games.
“They have a world-class facility,” Tatum said. “They know how to do it well.”
Reigning NBA champions Golden State Warriors will visit Japan for preseason games on September 30 and October 2 against Washington, who boast Japanese forward Hachimura.
“It’s going to be huge there with the pride they have for him,” Tatum said. “These things are important. It’s going to get people excited.”
Tatum expects the same thrill when the Chicago Bulls meet Hayes and the Detroit Pistons in a regular-season game in Paris on Jan. 19.
“It will be great for Killian Hayes to play in his home country,” said Tatum.
He also expects NBA fans from across Europe to attend the matchup in Paris, which will also feature two-time NBA All-Star Nikola Vučević from Chicago of Montenegro.
The Miami Heat and San Antonio Heat will meet in Mexico City on December 17 in a regular-season game.
– NBA watches India, Africa –
More global games are in the works, Tatum said, noting, “There are more markets that want games than we can have.”
“The world is a big place. We’ve played in many places, but there are still many opportunities.”
Germany, Italy and Greece are among several European possibilities, while London has hosted several competitions.
In all, since 1978, the league has played 205 games in 20 nations outside of the cities of the United States and Canada.
“Eventually we will be back in India,” Tatum said, adding, “I could see pre-season and regular-season games in Africa.”
In the 2019-20 season, the last before the pandemic, the NBA played preseason competitions in India, Japan and China, and regular-season games in Mexico and France.
Last season, the NBA had a record number of 121 national players from 40 nations, 18 of them from Canada and seven from Germany.
The last four NBA Most Valuable Player Awards were won by Denver Nuggets’ Serbian Nikola Jokic in 2022 and 2021, and Milwaukee’s Greek star Antetokounmpo in 2019 and 2020.
Those two and Cameroonian big man, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, were last season’s three MVP finalists, another first for global NBA talent.
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