The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced on Thursday that Mexico and the United Kingdom will host regular-season games as part of its expanded NBA Global Games schedule for the 2014-15 season.
The Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves will play at the Mexico City Arena on November 12, as part of NBA Global Games Mexico City 2014. NBA Global Games London 2015 will feature a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and New York Knicks at The O2 on January 15.
The two regular-season games will follow the NBA Global Games preseason games in October that will feature five teams – the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs – playing a series of games in Brazil, China, Germany, and Turkey.
As part of the NBA’s effort to connect with its fans globally, NBA Global Games 2014-15 now includes a total of nine NBA teams playing seven regular-season and preseason games in seven cities in six countries.
“While London and Mexico City each have their own unique culture, they both have rich sports traditions and share a great passion for the NBA,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “These regular-season games will bring the excitement and incredible competition of our league to more fans in Europe and Latin America.”
The four teams participating in the regular-season portion of NBA Global Games reflect the strong international makeup of the league. At the end of the 2013-14 regular season, the Bucks, Knicks, Rockets, and Timberwolves featured a combined 18 international players from 17 countries on their rosters.
Along with the oncourt action, NBA Global Games 2014-15 will feature a variety of off-the-court activities, including NBA Cares community programs and interactive fan events in each city. The games will also be supported by a variety of marketing and merchandising partners, while fans will be able to get real time updates through the NBA Game Time App, on NBA.com, and NBA social media channels, and watch globally on television and digital media, including NBA LEAGUE PASS International.
