The Joker is coming to town! Yes, you heard right.
The reigning NBA champions Denver Nuggets, led by their superstar MVP Nikola Jokic, will travel to Abu Dhabi, where they will face the Boston Celtics in two preseason games on October 4 and 6.
In what will be the third edition of the Abu Dhabi NBA Games – part of a multi-year agreement between the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and the NBA – UAE basketball fans will be treated to a clash between two Western countries. Giants of the Conference and the Eastern Conference, pitting Jokic’s Nuggets against Jayson Tatum’s Celtics.
The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the Finals last season to win the first championship in the team’s 47-year NBA history.
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After winning back-to-back regular season MVP awards in 2021 and 2022, Jokic was named NBA Finals MVP, averaging 30.2 points, 14 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 blocks in the Finals against Miami.
The Celtics currently lead the Eastern Conference with an impressive 48-13 record – the best in the entire league – and are leading contenders for this year’s NBA Finals.
Their roster includes five-time NBA All-Star Tatum, three-time NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown, 2021 NBA champion Jrue Holiday and 2018 NBA All-Star Kristaps Porziņģis. Holiday participated in the first NBA Games in Abu Dhabi in 2022 as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Information on ticket sales and match locations will be announced at a later date. Fans can register their interest in receiving more information by visiting nba.com/abudhabi.
The inaugural edition of the Games took place in 2022 with two games between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks, marking the first time in history that the NBA hosted a game in the Arab world.
Last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves won two games against the Dallas Mavericks in the capital, with Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving all making appearances.
Basketball is set to become a key sport in the UAE’s events calendar. Last summer, ahead of the Fiba World Cup, star teams including the United States, Germany and Greece coached by Steve Kerr held training camps in Abu Dhabi and played friendly matches in the part of International Basketball Week, before flying east for the World Cup.
DCT – Abu Dhabi also announced a new global agreement between its destination brand, Experience Abu Dhabi, and the Boston Celtics.
Abu Dhabi 2023 NBA Games – in pictures
Updated: March 6, 2024, 1:05 p.m.
