NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a presser ahead of the NBA pre-season basketball match … [+]
When I was about 13 years old, my family decided to move from Toronto, Canada, to Abu Dhabi. Despite my excitement about moving to a completely different part of the world and learning about its culture, my biggest worry, as a blossoming NBA fanatic, was: ‘How am I going to watch games?’ The time difference made it challenging for me to stay up for games, especially the West Coast ones, to watch Kobe and the Lakers in the Finals against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. NBA packages were sparse and expensive among the cable providers, and ultimately, I had to either watch highlights after the fact on the internet or just… not watch.
In the 15 years since then, things have changed for the better in that region in an immense way. Abu Dhabi is now a technological hub, a fully-blossomed Middle-Eastern city with a burning passion for sports, particularly basketball. According to Nielson, 75% of people in the United Arab Emirates are interested in basketball, while there are over 3 million NBA fans in the country. In particular, that region of the world has seen an uptick in interest for hoops, with over 15 million basketball fans consuming NBA content, the most among any professional US sports league.
The growth of basketball can directly be attributed to the league’s efforts in the area, especially with their annual Abu Dhabi Games.
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Yas Island has hosted the games since 2022. On Friday, they will host the NBA for a third straight year, with a pre-season ‘Clash of the Champions’ between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets to officially tip-off the season. Not too shabby of a contest to watch in person. The 3x MVP Jokic faces off against Jayson Tatum and the defending champion Celtics in two games across a weekend that will feature multiple NBA-themed events, including the ‘NBA District,’ a fan appreciation day, and ‘Jr. NBA Week’ which features a youth basketball development program with over 7000 players and 450 coaches in the region. Several NBA and WNBA legends will attend, including Muggsy Bogues, Marcus Camby, Derek Fisher, Sylvia Fowles, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal, and Mitch Richmond.
In its third year in the Emirates, the NBA is pulling out all the stops for Middle-Eastern basketball fans to participate. And rightfully so. Since they brought the NBA to Abu Dhabi in 2022, League Pass subscriptions have grown 33% and 25% year-over-year, and the NBA’s social platforms have exponentially grown in reach. The game will be broadcast across the Middle East and North Africa with an Arabic Broadcast with beIN Sports, the league’s broadcast partner in the region for the last 17 years.
“Basketball is a truly global sport,” said Vice President, Head of Fan Engagement and Direct-to-Consumer – Europe & Middle East for the NBA. “The UAE has become a hub for basketball where fans from more than 40 countries will travel to watch the defending champion Boston Celtics and 2023 NBA Champion Denver Nuggets go head-to-head in this year’s marquee matchup. While the games and surrounding events this week will serve as a major catalyst for basketball’s and the NBA’s growth, it’s also the league’s year-round efforts to engage fans and youth players in the region that are driving and sustaining the surging fandom.”
As the games and events get underway this week, they should serve as a reminder of the extensive efforts the NBA has made to make basketball one of the most global sports in the world. But maybe more importantly, with their efforts in the Middle East through these games, in Africa in collaboration with the BAL, and countless other games in Europe, Asia and South America — the NBA has made basketball one of the most accessible sports to pick up and play or to watch and enjoy.
And 13-year-old Esfandiar, who was just moving to Abu Dhabi, would be happy about that.
