NBA Regular Season Returns To London

The NBA has announced that the Orlando Magic will return to London to play a regular-season game against the Toronto Raptors at The O2 on 14th January 2016 as part of NBA Global Games 2015/16.

The match will mark the league’s sixth regular season game in the capital. 

The @OrlandoMagic & @Raptors are bringing their highlight show to the O2 for #NBALondon16: http://t.co/Gr8J8GOQnc pic.twitter.com/yn6FLIpjIn

— NBA.com (@NBAcom) July 22, 2015

Tickets for the game will go on sale at the beginning of the 2015/16 NBA season, but fans can register for presale opportunities by signing up for NBA All-Access.

The Magic, led by four-time NBA champion and 15-time NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal, first visited London for a pair of preseason games in 1993. 

More recently, the Raptors played back-to-back games in London in 2011, marking the NBA’s first regular-season games in Europe.

Along with the oncourt action, NBA Global Games London will feature a variety of off-the-court activities, including NBA Cares community programs and interactive fan events.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver commented: “We look forward to returning to London next season with a regular-season game between the Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors.  This underscores our commitment to growing basketball in the region and to bringing more regular-season basketball to our fans in the UK.” 

Sport Industry TV spoke to NBA EMEA senior vice president and managing director Benjamin Morel ahead of the last regular season game in January, where he revealed the appeal of the game in the country.

“There’s a lot of room for potential, the UK is the number one market for merchandise,” Morel revealed.

Speaking of the upcoming game, Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins commented: “We’re honored to participate in the NBA’s Global Games and look forward to representing the Central Florida community and showcasing our team. From our past experience of playing in London in 1993 we know the passion of the fans and look forward to this amazing opportunity.”

Toronto Raptors president and general manager Masai Ujiri added: “On behalf of the Raptors organisation, we are proud to return to London for NBA Global Games 2016. We had a tremendous experience in London in 2011 and look forward to reconnecting with the fans and community. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to continue in the NBA’s mission to make an impact globally.”