NBA fever grips Asia in October

curlydianne 30 September, 20131 October, 2013

12 NBA teams play 10 regular and pre-season games in 10 cities in 7 countries in 2013-14.

The NBA will take Asia by storm this October when the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers play the NBA Global Games Philippines 2013 in Manila and Taipei and the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers take on Beijing and Shanghai in separate NBA Global Games.

The Rockets and Pacers game in Manila on October 10 at the Mall of Asia Arena will be immediately followed by another NBA Global Game in Taipei on October 13. The Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers take the Global Games stage in Beijing and Shanghai on October 15 and 18, respectively.

Houston Rockets v Indiana Pacers — Jeremy Lin #7 of the Houston Rockets shoots against the Indiana Pacers of the Indiana Pacers of the Houston Rockets on January 18, 2013 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

Three NBA Legends – Clyde Drexler, Robert Horry and Jalen Rose — will grace the Global Games in Manila and Taipei; while three more Legends — Muggsy Bogues, Dell Curry (father of Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry) and AC Green — lend their eminent presence to the games in Beijing and Shanghai.

All the countries that will experience the NBA Global Games – the Philippines, Taiwan, China, England, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey — will have NBA Legends gracing their 2013-14 season appetizers. Drexler and Horry have been to Manila before for NBA Madness 2011 and the NBA Asia Challenge 2010, respectively. It will be Jalen Rose’s first time in Manila.

The full 2013-14 NBA Global Games schedule includes a total of 12 NBA teams playing 10 regular season and preseason games in 10 cities in seven countries and territories. This will be the biggest number of NBA teams to play internationally in a single season in the history of the NBA.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - JANUARY 18: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets drives ahead of Paul George #24 of the Indiana Pacers on January 18, 2013 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: 2013 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) — James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets drives ahead of Paul George #24 of the Indiana Pacers on January 18, 2013 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)

This October, the Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers and Washington Wizards will all play in the NBA Global Games, which will feature the first ever NBA preseason games to be held in Brazil and the Philippines.

NBA Global Games Mexico City 2013 will feature a game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs at the Mexico City Arena on December 4, while the Atlanta Hawks and the Brooklyn Nets play in London on January 16 as part of NBA Global Games London 2014.

In addition to oncourt action, the NBA Global Games will feature a variety of events off the court, including NBA Cares community outreach activities and interactive fan events in select cities.

This is the first time that the NBA will stage regular-season games in two countries outside of the US and Canada in the same season.