Two preparatory games ahead of the 2022/23 season will take place in October 2022 in the United Arab Emirates, the NBA and the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism jointly announced on Tuesday. These games will be the NBA's very first foray into the Gulf with previous pre-season games going ahead in the likes of England, France, Mexico, Japan, China and more recently lately in India. These will be the first games played overseas since the covid pandemic. The partnership will see DCT Abu Dhabi, under “Visit Abu Dhabi,” the tourism promotion initiative of the UAE’s capital city, serve as the Official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA in China, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. "Organizing NBA games and events in Abu Dhabi is part of our desire to develop basketball around the world," said Mark Tatum, deputy commissioner of the body, who signed the multi-year agreement adding: "Abu Dhabi is a vibrant multicultural hub with a demonstrated track record of hosting world-class sporting events".

Source: The North Africa Journal November 17, 2021 09:55 UTC