It’s official. The first-ever NBA games will be played in Abu Dhabi this October—and one of the biggest superstars in the sport will be on the court.
Yep, the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo and the 2021 NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks will be taking on the Atlanta Hawks in two pre-season games on October 6 and October 8, 2022.
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This should be a hot item come the fall, as this is a historic moment for both Abu Dhabi and the sport. After all, this isn’t only the first NBA games in the UAE, it’s the first in the Arabian Gulf entirely.
The Bucks are currently battling the Celtics in the NBA post-season, with two-time the NBA MVP flanked by three-time NBA All-Star Khris Middleton and three-time NBA All-Defensive team member Jrue Holiday.
The Bucks previously met the Hawks in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, with the Hawks led by two-time NBA All-Star Trae Young and 2020-21 NBA rebounding leader Clint Capella, along with John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic, with the Bucks prevailing to win their first NBA championship in 50 years.
“We are honored to have been selected to participate in the NBA’s first games in the United Arab Emirates. As the NBA continues to expand globally, we look forward to visiting Abu Dhabi and furthering the league’s goals of inspiring people through basketball. We will be proud to represent our city, our state and Bucks fans worldwide this October,” Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum President Peter Feigin.
How to watch the NBA in UAE games
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 will be broadcast live in the UAE and across the Middle East and North Africa on beIN SPORTS, The Sports Channel and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service. The games will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories around the world on television, digital media and social media.
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 are part of a multiyear partnership between the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi that earlier this year saw the launch of the first Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls ages 11-14 from local schools across Abu Dhabi. The partnership also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event at Middle East Film & Comic Con.
The partnership also sees 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 the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and China.
More than 220 male and female prospects from the Middle East – including five players from the UAE – have participated in Basketball Without Borders (BWB) or NBA Academy, the league’s elite basketball development programs for top prospects from outside the U.S. Since 2019, more than 500 boys and girls have also participated in the NBA Basketball School Dubai (UAE), a year-round, tuition-based basketball development programme for boys and girls ages 6-18.
Abu Dhabi has been making big moves in the sports world, becoming the second home of the UFC in recent years, with the NBA an impressive addition to that line-up.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the first NBA games in Abu Dhabi, the first to be hosted in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf, and look forward to welcoming the Atlanta Hawks, the Milwaukee Bucks and basketball fans from across the world to discover this incredible city and experience our authentic Emirati culture for themselves. Basketball has the ability to unite communities, and the spirit of the game will be felt by players and visitors, both on and off the court. The unveiling of the NBA teams marks an important milestone in our wider partnership with this world-class sports organisation,” said DCT Abu Dhabi Director General H.E. Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry.
For the NBA, this is a big move in widening the fanbase across the Middle East, and beyond.
“Bringing the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks to Abu Dhabi in October is an important milestone in the NBA and basketball’s global growth. In addition to the games, we look forward to engaging fans through a variety of interactive events and giving back to the local community through NBA Cares initiatives and youth development clinics that will teach the sport and its values to young boys and girls,” added NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director Ralph Rivera.