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Ex-Mavericks player McKinley Wright signed with Emirati team BC Dubai until the 2026-27 season.
Knicks, Sixers to meet in Abu Dhabi next October
The New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers will headline the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025, set for October 2 and 4 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. It will be the fourth straight year Abu Dhabi hosts preseason NBA action. “We are thrilled to welcome two of the NBA’s most iconic teams,” said Saleh Al Geziry from Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism. The games are presented by ADQ and highlight the league’s continued expansion into the Middle East.
“Fans in Abu Dhabi will have the opportunity to see two of the NBA’s historic franchises when the Knicks and 76ers face off in October,” added George Aivazoglou, managing director of the NBA for Europe and Middle East, “We look forward to engaging fans and aspiring players from the local community and across the region for the fourth consecutive year, through our games and surrounding events.” In connection with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, Abu Dhabi is set to host the Final Four of the 2024-25 season between May 23 and 25.
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Since the NBA and FIBA jointly announced their intention to explore the creation of a new league in Europe, many of the certainties surrounding the future of European basketball have gradually faded, and a sense of uncertainty has begun to spread. Among the teams that are considering all possible scenarios, we can now add Dubai. Multiple sources have told BasketNews that the NBA has contacted Dubai's management in recent days, inquiring about their availability to join the new project.
A few months after putting the NBA champion Boston Celtics up for sale, majority owner Wyc Grousbeck was in the Middle East pitching the team to one of the region’s biggest investors. The Celtics played preseason games in Abu Dhabi in October as part of the NBA’s third annual trip to the capital of the United Arab Emirates. During that trip, Grousbeck met with Mubadala Investment Co., one of the country’s sovereign wealth funds, to discuss a potential investment, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The US league has held pre-season games in Abu Dhabi since 2022, and the annual NBA Cup, which started last week, is now sponsored by Dubai airline Emirates. "These games are part of the Emirati government's efforts to distract from the many human rights violations it is committing at home and abroad," HRW said in a statement.
For some time, Emirates has been developing its partnership with the NBA. This has ranged from sponsorships to games played in the UAE. Currently, the airline is sponsoring the Emirates NBA Cup, a multistage NBA tournament that culminates into single elimination knockout rounds until just one team is left.
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To mark the occasion, the NBA Cup trophy made its way from Dubai to New York on an Airbus A380 sporting the new NBA-themed livery, which features a bright blue fuselage, red engine cowlings, and various basketball-themed designs. Fun for passengers extends far beyond just the livery. On this particular flight, passengers were able to sample a basketball-themed menu and receive commemorative memorabilia ranging from aircraft models to NBA luggage tags, photo frames, and more.
The league is exploring opening a new academy in another part of the world where it can improve the basketball infrastructure. It is considering the Middle East and Asia. The United Arab Emirates would make sense as a likely favorite to be that new hub, though the NBA has not settled on a choice yet.
Emirates has fully repainted one of its Airbus A380s with a striking bold blue livery in partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA). The new livery captures the spirit of the Emirates and NBA marketing collaboration, with the aircraft set to start flying across the airline’s network next week.
After getting waived by the Charlotte Hornets, Davis Bertans made a surprising move and moved to play for a newly established club in the United Arab Emirates - Dubai BC. The NBA's constant movement had drained the family, and the Latvian forward wanted to settle down, he says. Dubai BC competes in the ABA League, where they are currently 2-1 after a loss to Mega Basket on Saturday. After the game, Bertans revealed his reasons for signing with the organization.
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