This last weekend the Boston Celtics played the Denver Nuggets at the NBA Abu Dhabi Games, and throughout the game there seemed to be one lingering thought from the crowd: this should have been the NBA playoffs. In one of the most back and forth, evenly matched games in recent memory, the Celtics emerged victorious with 107 to the Nuggets’ 103, claiming the first of two head-to-head games. This was a stark contrast to the sheer domination the Celtics experienced against the Dallas Mavericks at the NBA playoffs this last June in Boston, USA.
The Celtics’ Jaylen Brown said of the opening game, “We are getting back into season form and just finding that continuity again as we had some good spots. Defensively, we made some good plays, got some good looks, and we see a lot of excitement here in Abu Dhabi. I think the next game should be better, but just keep building great habits is going to be key for all preseason.”
But another major highlight of the nail biting game was the list of A-list celebrities who flocked out to Yas Island, as everyone from Steve Harvey to football legend Ronaldinho Gaúcho were spotted courtside.
Additional sports royalty: Roberto Carlos, Iker Casillas, Luis Figo, Thierry Henry, Gerard Piqué, Alessandro Del Piero, Clarence Seedorf, Derek Fisher, and Kevin Garnett.
In terms of film, music, and television: Disha Patani (Bollywood actress), Michael Rainey Jr. (Actor), Will.i.am (Musician and producer), 2 Chainz (Grammy Award-winning rapper).
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, who has been chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism since 2016, is the mastermind behind this weekend’s high profile preseason game in the UAE, and has long been a fan of basketball ever since he attended his first game in Boston many years ago as a teenager, where he quickly caught a taste of the die-hard fandom exhibited by American basketball fans.
Sitting next to an old couple in Boston at a game, Al Mubarak said: “I gave a little smile and I expected a smile back. And they looked at my Laker shirt and flicked me off. And I said, ‘Well, that’s my welcome to Boston moment.'” Despite this passionate response against his favourite L.A. team, Al Mubarak instantly caught the NBA bug, and has been a driving force in successfully generating massive hype for basketball in the region.
Mubarak’s passion for the NBA has bled over into lucrative deals with the UFC over the past decade, and there are now two guaranteed UFC events held at Yas Island each year, the next one coming later this month on October 26, featuring a featherweight title bout where Ilia Topuria will defend his title against Max Holloway at UFC 308.
Ever since the partnership with the NBA, basketball participation has gone up by 60% in the region. One can only assume it’s a matter of time before Saudi Arabia strikes its own basketball deal with the NBA, as they too jumped on the UFC bandwagon earlier this year.