Regular Season Game For NBA London ’19
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) have announced that the NBA London Game 2019 will feature a regular-season game between the Washington Wizards and the New York Knicks at The O2 on Thursday 17th January.
Forming part of next season’s NBA Global Games series, the clash will be the ninth regular-season NBA game to be played at London’s O2 Arena.
The Knicks last played in the UK in 2015 while the Wizards will make their London debut.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said: “We’ve been playing regular-season match-ups in London for nearly a decade, and over that time the games and the surrounding festivities have grown into the equivalent of an NBA All-Star experience transported to Europe. Fans and partners from across the continent come to celebrate basketball and enjoy the excitement and experience of an NBA game.”
Outgoing NBA EME senior vice president and managing director Ben Morel, who recently announced he will be stepping down from his role in July, added: “The excitement of the NBA returns to London next January as we welcome back the New York Knicks and host the Washington Wizards for the first time. Bringing regular-season NBA games to London has become a staple of the sports calendar and is testament to the popularity of our league that fans from across Europe will descend on The O2 for another great game.”
The first regular-season games in London were held in 2011, with the New Jersey Nets beating the Toronto Raptors twice, while Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76ers in last season’s event. The Wizards reached the Eastern Conference play-offs last season but the Knicks missed out after finishing 11th.
All eight previous games in London sold out and tickets for next season’s game will go on sale in the autumn.
In addition to the oncourt action, the NBA London Game 2019 will feature a variety of interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA basketball programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in London.
The NBA London Game 2019 will be supported by a full roster of marketing partners, including Foot Locker, Gatorade, Nike, SAP and Tissot with additional partners to be announced in the coming months.
