.png)
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver continues to be “particularly excited” about future opportunities for NBA Abu Dhabi Games – and beyond.
Packed crowds flocked to Etihad Arena to witness the 2023 (Denver Nuggets) and 2024 (Boston Celtics) champions dazzle in a pair of preseason matches. It was the Celtics who prevailed on October 4 and 6, registering 107-103 and 130-104 victories.
This continued the successful partnership originally inked by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and NBA in November 2021, with the first annual friendlies being played the following October.
“We’re particularly excited about, not just the opportunity here in Abu Dhabi, but the Gulf region generally,” Silver told reporters in the capital ahead of Friday’s tip-off. “We have a long history in this market, games have been televised for roughly 35 years.
“The game is probably 100-years old here in the Middle East… Today, we’re the second-most-popular sport after football and the fastest-growing sport in the world, in terms of basketball.
“One of the things in particular we’re excited about is the dramatic increase we’re seeing in girls and young women playing. I was at the Abu Dhabi Campus of NYU [New York University], where we have a program called ‘Her Time To Play’.
“We had approximately 130 girls, 11-14 years old… There were two components to the program; there was about an hour spent in conversation with these players about the values of the game, life skills, importance of hard work and respect for the game, dedication to your craft and then an hour on the court, in terms of basketball experience.
“We’ve had an opportunity over the last week here with our on-the-ground basketball through Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA programs to connect with more than 7,000 kids. That includes 450 coaches, some based here, some who travelled here for the basketball portion of this experience.
“From our standpoint, it’s been very successful so far.”
Bonds between the NBA and Middle East have gone from strength to strength. In addition to NBA Abu Dhabi Games, Jr. NBA/WNBA and NBA Basketball School programs have been established, while UAE airline Emirates have been named Global Airline Partner of the NBA and Title Partner of Emirates NBA Cup.
NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum was convinced this is just the start.
He said: “I think the number of partnerships that you’re going to see here in the region I think will grow. Emirates is a partner of ours with the new NBA Cup, they’ve been terrific partners in the region.
“We have a partnership with the Qatar Foundation to do grassroots programs, Jr. NBA programs in Qatar for boys and girls, too. BeIN has been a long-standing media partner of ours throughout the entire Middle East and North Africa.
“I think the partnerships that we develop here, local companies Aldar, ADQ are also investing in basketball. I think that will continue to grow over the next five years as well.”
Growth in playing and training opportunities was also a key theme for Commissioner Silver. He hoped to take advantage of Abu Dhabi’s status as “a sports and entertainment hub for the whole region”, potentially bringing an elite academy to the UAE.
He said: “We’re focused on some elite training here. Abu Dhabi has become a sports and entertainment hub for the whole region, we see an opportunity potentially with an elite academy here to bring in young people from the region broadly described… and take some of the best youth players and bring them here to train together, to develop to play at the highest levels for their national teams and potentially in professional competition.”
It is not just the giant footprint of NBA’s superstars that has been felt in Abu Dhabi. Participation in Jr. NBA/WNBA leagues has grown exponentially across the UAE, with Tatum taking particular pride in their development.
He said: “I think the main learning is that if you invest in the community, invest in giving kids the opportunity to play the game of basketball, you will see a tremendous impact.
“That is part of the partnership. When we first sat down with Abu Dhabi, it wasn’t just about the games, it was about the activities we’d create around the games.
“They understood that it was a good thing to get more kids active, playing the game of basketball. That is why we started off in that first year creating Jr. NBA programs for boys and girls.
“Participation is up 60 per cent in the UAE, 120 Jr. NBA teams this year up from 90 last year. Those are the things for governments around the world, Abu Dhabi is saying ‘that’s a good thing for us’.
The NBA has debuted its 2024-25 season tip-off brand campaign, “The Tip-Off,” which is now streaming across all @NBA social platforms and on the NBA App.
In the spot, two-time NBA champion and six-time NBA All-Star Kawhi Leonard and two-time NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards are joined in the center circle by three-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo, five-time NBA All-Star Luka Dončić, reigning NBA champion and five-time NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum, and 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama as they compete to be the first to get their hands on the ball to begin the season.
Set to the iconic soundtrack of “Jump” by Van Halen, “The Tip-Off” showcases a frenzy of players, celebrities, creators and fans rushing the court to get their hands on the ball to tip off the season. As the cast of star players debate who will get the ball first, a stampede of NBA faithful, including GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Kelly Rowland, multi-hyphenate creator Drew Afualo and popular streamer Kai Cenat, scramble to get to midcourt for a piece of the action. Fan-favorite Denver Nuggets mascot Rocky soars above the crowd to deliver the game ball to the referee, who tosses the ball up. As players elevate, fans are left eagerly anticipating the result of the tip.
“The Tip-Off” uses the jump ball, the play that begins every game of basketball, to symbolize the start of a new chapter, when all 30 teams tip off with a clean slate and the journey to a championship begins. It also highlights the excitement of the league’s global fanbase as they gear up for another thrilling season and captures the anticipation of knowing that the Larry O’Brien Trophy is anyone’s to claim.
ALL IN FOR THE SEASON TO BEGIN.
#KIATIPOFF24 BEGINS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22. PIC.TWITTER.COM/OYEFYMLUIR— NBA (@NBA) OCTOBER 3, 2024
The full cast includes:
· Three-time NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
· Five-time NBA All-Star Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks)
· Two-time NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)
· Two-time NBA champion and six-time NBA All-Star Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)
· Reigning NBA champion and five-time NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
· 2023-24 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
· Influencer, podcaster and New York Times bestselling author Drew Afualo
· Streamer Kai Cenat
· GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Kelly Rowland
· Denver Nuggets Mascot Rocky
Check out behind-the-scenes action here,
showcasing the cast on set during the filming of “The Tip-Off.” The
new campaign was directed by Mike Warzin and produced in collaboration
with Translation.
“The Tip-Off” will be supported across all channels with complimentary
creative that comes to life in out-of-home, digital, social and audio
assets.
Fans can join in to celebrate the start of the season by wearing their favorite NBA jersey and sharing to social media on Monday, Oct. 21 for the chance to be featured on league and team social media channels as part of the fifth annual NBA Jersey Day.
The regular season will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 22 with a doubleheader on TNT. In the first game, the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics will host the New York Knicks in a matchup of last season’s top two playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference (7:30 p.m. ET). In the second game, the Minnesota Timberwolves – coming off the second-best regular season in franchise history and their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 20 years – will visit the Los Angeles Lakers as NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron James of the Lakers starts his record-tying 22nd NBA regular season (10 p.m. ET).
The first five days of the 2024-25 NBA regular season (Oct. 22-26) will feature 11 national television games as part of Kia NBA Tip-Off 2024, with two doubleheaders each on TNT an
The highly anticipated NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ are just around the corner, taking place on October 4 and 6 at Etihad Arena.
The showcase is bringing together two of the league’s biggest powerhouses, the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics, for two thrilling preseason games.
This year’s Abu Dhabi Games are especially notable for the fact that it features the two most recent NBA champions facing off with 2023’s winners, Nuggets, taking on the holders, Celtics.
Sport360 spoke with Joe Dumars, the NBA’s Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, to talk about the significance of these games, the NBA’s growing presence in the UAE, and the future of basketball in the region.
Q. What excites you about the NBA’s growing presence in the UAE?
Any time you go into a new area to promote the NBA, you’re always interested to see how it goes and what kind of reception you get. The reception we’ve gotten from the UAE, from Abu Dhabi, has been incredible. I really look forward to the excitement around the games. The fans for the first two years of the games have been exceptional. It’s just a great atmosphere, seeing so many kids wearing NBA jerseys. It’s just been a great experience for the NBA.
Q. This year’s Games feature the 2023 champions versus the 2024 champions. How does that elevate the showcase?
I can’t recall, in all the years of the Global Games, having the two prior champions playing. It may have happened, I’m not saying it hasn’t happened, but even for myself, it’s really exciting to have the two previous champions playing. Obviously, these are two of the elite teams in the NBA and to have them opening up the (pre) season, playing in Abu Dhabi, could not be better for them and for the fans there. For the fans in the UAE, you couldn’t ask for anything better. You put the previous two champions with the type of crowds that you have in Abi Dhabi – I just think it’s going to be a special week because it’s not just the two games, it’s the full week of a celebration of NBA basketball.
Q. What kind of challenges did you face bringing the NBA to the UAE as compared to other international markets?
There was never a challenge, it was just going to be interesting for the NBA to see how it goes. Since we’ve started coming to Abu Dhabi, there hasn’t really been any challenges. The players love it. I’ve talked to all the teams who have come before – Atlanta, Milwaukee, Dallas, Minnesota – every player has loved it. The guys get there and they look around and they start experiencing Abu Dhabi and they just absolutely love it. Once we realised how incredible it was, you won’t have any complaints from anyone.
Q. What are the NBA’s future plans in the region for the next five-10 years?
I think, just to continue to grow the game. We want to reach as many people as possible, especially kids. We want to touch them and inspire them and expose them to this great game, to these amazing players. It’s to continue to increase the presence, make sure people feel like they have access to the NBA, continue to play these games where people can come out and see these incredible players in person, provide the access to people on league pass and different platforms so they can actually see the games and follow the games.
Q. The 2024 Abu Dhabi Games will also see the Regular Season MVP in Nikola Jokic face the Finals MVP in Jaylen Brown. What do you make of that matchup?
That’s a great point about the Regular Season MVP and the Finals MVP. Also, let’s add the Olympians on the teams as well, the NBA champions, All-Stars, future Hall of Famers. The resume of the guys, current players and even some of the former players who are going to be coming over as ambassadors to the game… That’s why I’m excited about this. You have Jokic, you have Jaylen Brown but you have Olympians like Jamal Murray and all the guys from the USA Team from Boston. I think it’s incredible. That’s what people are going to see in Abu Dhabi.
Q. Why is a battle between the two prior champions so special as a contest?
When you have two champions on the court, I look forward to that because the mentality of a champion is different and these are the last two. So I just look forward to seeing those two play each other. I saw them play during this past season. Denver went to Boston and I went to the game in Boston and it was an incredible game. I think it was a two-point game right to the very end and I just remember watching them play and I go – neither one of these teams want to give an inch. So I just look forward to the two previous champions playing together in two games like this.
Q. What can we expect from the NBA in terms of developing the game in the UAE in the coming years?
We’re trying to reach as many boys and girls as possible to introduce the game to them, whether it be the NBA Basketball School, the WNBA, Jr. NBA, Jr. WNBA all of these programs are to reach as many kids as possible. We think that basketball is something that brings people together. We think it helps young people grow. So you’ll continue to see us invest in these areas, where we can reach as many kids as possible through as many programs as possible.
—————
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 promise to be a spectacular showcase of elite basketball talent and global sports culture. With two elite teams, world-class athletes, and a host of exciting events, basketball fans in the UAE are in for a treat.
Don’t miss out on what is sure to be an unforgettable week in
go to the next page click here