NBA to host two preseason matches in United Arab Emirates / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Etihad Arena Credit Etihad Arena

Last November, the NBA announced its partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism-Abu Dhabi. Now, the deal has come to full fruition.

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The league has announced that Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks are going to play two preseason games in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, on October 6th and October 8th.

Tickets have not gone on sale yet, but basketball fans can register at www.nba.com/abudhabi for information, including pre-sale access.

The Etihad Arena, where the matches will be hosted, was built in January 2021 and can host 18,000 spectators. It will also host a UFC 281 event in October.

Besides the matches, other events are going to take place at or near the arena, including junior leagues, NBA 2K video game exhibitions, and fitness clinics.

"We are honored to have been selected to participate in the NBA's first games in the United Arab Emirates," the Bucks' president Peter Feigin said in a statement. "As the NBA continues to expand globally, we look forward to visiting Abu Dhabi and furthering the league's goals of inspiring people through basketball. We will be proud to represent our city, our state, and Bucks fans worldwide this October."

It will be the third time the Bucks have played internationally since Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted by the club in 2013. The team previously played in London in 2015, beating the New York Knicks. They were then a part of the first NBA regular-season game in Paris on Jan. 24, 2020, when they played the Charlotte Hornets.

The last time NBA teams traveled overseas for preseason contests was October 2019, when Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers played twice in Mumbai, India, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors played twice in Saitama, India, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets played a pair of games in China.

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