The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that the league will host its largest Jr. NBA Week ever in the Middle East from Tuesday, Oct. 1 – Sunday, Oct. 6 in conjunction with The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ, which will feature the two most recent NBA champions in the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets playing preseason games on Friday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 6 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
Tickets for The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ are available at etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae. Unrivalled access, hospitality and experiences for fans as well as local cultural excursions and hotel accommodations are also available for purchase at nbaexperiences.com/abudhabi.
Below is a by-the-numbers look at Jr. NBA Week, The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ, and the growth of basketball and the NBA in the Middle East:
Jr. NBA Week in Abu Dhabi:
7,000 – The week of activities, which will be hosted in collaboration with the Celtics and the Nuggets, will reach more than 7,000 youth from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and across the Middle East and Europe through youth clinics and basketball development programming focused on teaching the game, promoting health and wellness, and empowering the next generation of players, coaches and referees.
450 – Celtics and Nuggets assistant coaches will lead clinics for more than 450 coaches from the local community that will teach techniques and best practices for team and player development at any level.
125/65 – Jr. NBA Week will feature 125 hours of on-court basketball activity across 65 clinics for youth, coaches and referees.
7 – Seven NBA and WNBA legends will participate in Jr. NBA Week activities: Muggsy Bogues, Marcus Camby, Derek Fisher, Sylvia Fowles, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal and Mitch Richmond.
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The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 Presented by ADQ:
200 – The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital media and social media.
43 – Fans from 43 countries have purchased tickets for The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ.
32 – The Celtics and Nuggets currently feature players with a combined 32 NBA All-Star appearances.
18 – The Celtics won the franchise’s 18th championship last season, the most of any NBA team.
9 – The Nuggets signed nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook over the offseason.
8 – The Celtics and Nuggets currently feature eight international players. Celtics: Tristan Enaruna (Netherlands), Al Horford (Dominican Republic), Kristaps Porziņģis (Latvia) and Neemias Queta (Portugal). Nuggets: Vlatko Čančar (Slovenia), Jamal Murray (Canada), Nikola Jokić (Serbia) and Dario Šarić (Croatia).
5/6 – The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ will mark the fifth and sixth NBA games in Abu Dhabi since 2022.
4 – Four players on the Celtics and Nuggets played in Abu Dhabi over the summer as part of the USA Basketball Showcase before winning medals at the Paris Olympics: Jrue Holiday (Celtics; U.S.), Jokić, Jayson Tatum (Celtics; U.S.) and Derrick White (Celtics; U.S.).
3 – Jokić is one of nine players in NBA history to be named NBA Most Valuable Player three times.
2 – For the second consecutive year, the league will host “NBA Fan Appreciation Day in Abu Dhabi” on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Etihad Arena. Grammy Award-winning rapper 2 Chainz will perform live. Tickets are on sale now at etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae.
2 – The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ will mark the first time that the previous two NBA champions will face each other in an NBA Global Game.
1 – The Nuggets won the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2023.
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Growth of Basketball in the Middle East:
1987-88 – NBA games have aired in the UAE since the 1987-88 season.
11, 000 – The Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League has reached more than 11,000 boys and girls since 2022.
10,000 – “NBA District”, a multiday, interactive fan event, will be held at Manarat Al Saadiyat for the third consecutive year after welcoming nearly 10,000 fans each of the past two years. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.ae.
150 – More than 150 current and former NBA and WNBA players have visited the Middle East to participate in live games, clinics and/or social impact programming.
60/50 – Since the first NBA Abu Dhabi Games in 2022, basketball participation has grown by 60% in the UAE and by more than 50% in the Middle East (YouGov).
39 – The 2024 NBA Finals, which featured the Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, was the most-watched Finals ever in the Middle East on NBA League Pass (+39% year-over-year).
25 – Since the inaugural NBA Abu Dhabi Games in 2022, NBA fandom in the Middle East has grown by more than 25% (YouGov).
5 – Last season, the Celtics and the Nuggets were both among the top five most-viewed teams on NBA League Pass in the Middle East.
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