The NBA will be back in Abu Dhabi for a second season to conduct the preseason games on Oct. 5 and 7.? After a three-month hiatus, the fans get to witness their favorite teams in action once again. The NBA Abu Dhabi 2023 preseason games will feature the Dallas Mavericks going head-to-head with the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Etihad Arena. This is the second iteration of the NBA 2022 games that were held in the oil-rich Gulf country. Last year, the Atlanta Hawks locked horns with the Milwaukee Bucks in a thrilling matchup. And given last season’s success, the NBA is set to return again in the UAE capital.

However, some of the NBA’s loyal sponsors will not be participating in the league’s international undertaking.

Most American sponsors of the NBA won’t be present

This is a move by the NBA to expand the second most watched sport beyond the borders of the USA and Canada. The league has staged games in more than 20 countries outside the USA in an effort to make the games more accessible to international fans. The NBA Abu Dhabi 2023 games are a result of the multi-year collaboration between the NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Abu Dhabi.

The NBA has partnered up with the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company – ADQ to involve fans and youth basketball players in the country. This multi-year partnership has made ADQ the presenting partner for the two preseason games at Yas Islands’ Etihad Arena.

In addition to ADQ, the games will be supported by other corporate giants including Aldar, Experience Abu Dhabi, Gatorade, Nike and Tissot.

Read More: Where to Watch the 2023 NBA Preseason?

However, this event will not be seeing NBA’s faithful American partners such as American Express, McDonald’s, New York Lottery, Xbox and many more.

NBA Abu Dhabi 2023 promises an action-packed week

The games are going to be a star-studded event with NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ray Allen, Gary Payton and Tim Hardaway Sr. in attendance. The NBA Fan Appreciation Day on 6th October will be headlined by six-time Grammy Winner T-Pain. The preseason opener games will witness an intense showdown between Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving’s Dallas Mavericks and Karl-Anthony Towns’ Timberwolves. Not only that, the Junior NBA week also gets underway from 2nd October to 8th October.

The week-long affair will also include NBA FIT clinics, NBA Cares events and an NBA 2K exhibition event. In addition, NBA Basketball Schools from Australia, Brazil, Kuwait, and the UAE will participate in a three-day tournament at Repton School from Oct. 4 to 6.

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To top it off, there will also be performances by the Mavericks Entertainment Team and the Timberwolves Dunk Team. It will also feature a slam dunk contest featuring professional dunkers.