NBA Global Games 2018: Complete Schedule, Live Stream and More
The NBA Global Games for the 2018-19 season kick off Friday with the first of two preseason matchups in China between the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers.
In December, the Orlando Magic will play regular-season contests against the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz in Mexico City. That's followed by a clash in London between the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards in January.
Let's check out the complete list of available details for all of those games. That's followed by a preview of the NBA's continued efforts to showcase, and potentially expand, its brand around the world.
2018-19 NBA Global Games Schedule
Oct. 5: Dallas Mavericks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 a.m. ET)
Location: Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai
TV: NBA TV
Live Stream: NBA.com
Oct. 8: Dallas Mavericks vs. Philadelphia 76ers (8 a.m. ET)
Location: Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre in Shenzhen, China
TV: NBA TV
Live Stream: NBA.com
Dec. 13: Orlando Magic vs. Chicago Bulls (9:30 p.m. ET)
Location: Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City
TV: NBC Sports Chicago
Live Stream: NBC Sports Chicago
Dec. 15: Orlando Magic vs. Utah Jazz (5 p.m. ET)
Location: Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City
TV: NBA TV
Live Stream: NBA.com
Jan. 17: New York Knicks vs. Washington Wizards (3 p.m. ET)
Location: The O2 Arena in London
TV: NBA TV
Live Stream: NBA.com
Global Games' Outlook
NBA commissioner Adam Silver inherited the Global Games from his predecessor, David Stern, and has made a concerted effort to grow the league internationally.
Since taking over in February 2014, Silver has watched preseason games played in Brazil and China as well as regular-season contests in London and Mexico City. He's got his sights set on expanding the number of countries involved in the years ahead, too.
In August, the commissioner said while attending the 2018 NBA Africa Game, which featured NBA stars from Africa taking on a team of stars from elsewhere in the world, he wanted to stage a regular-season game on the continent, with Nigeria as the leading contender to serve as host:
"We'd love to bring a regular-season game here, and it's something we've talked about before. We've done it in other parts of the world. But it's a much larger economic undertaking than playing a friendly game during the summer. It would need to be done as part of a larger business plan, but it's certainly something we have talked about several times."
Meanwhile, Silver noted later in August the NBA is also "very focused on the Indian market," with the hope of making inroads in the world's second-most populous country.
"We have an academy on the ground now. We are potentially looking to play a game in Mumbai, maybe next year. It would be a preseason game," he told the Press Trust of India (via the Hindustan Times). "If we do a preseason game, we can build time, and our players and their families can spend time, learn about the country's culture."
The biggest question, however, is whether the efforts will eventually lead to an international-based franchise outside of North America.
Silver explained last year current travel technology hasn't advanced far enough to make a European or Chinese team logistically possible given the NBA's 82-game schedule, but it's something the league office continues to monitor closely, per Sam Amick of USA Today.
"We can play games in China and Europe, or occasional preseason games as a one-off, but under existing airline technology, the planes aren't fast enough to at least play in the current framework of our regular season," he said. "(But) it may be something we'll be looking at over the coming years is what a regular-season schedule look like a decade from now."
If the technology improves, the fanbase is there for a Chinese franchise. In 2017, Andrew McNicol of the South China Morning Post reported the NBA had become the most popular American sports league in the Asian country based on video views, including 200 million during the 2017 NBA Finals alone.
Getting a chance to see the Sixers, a young team led by Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid hoping to transform into a championship contender, and a Mavs squad with a legend in Dirk Nowitzki and an elite prospect Luka Doncic to kick off the 2018-19 NBA Global Games should only increase that appetite.
