The United Arab Emirates have been increasingly showing their interest in the NBA. The recent acquisition of a stake in the Washington Wizards is just another sign of this. With the NBA being a global sport, the league has been doing events around the world. Recently, they’ve started hosting pre-season games in Abu Dhabi to expand the reach of the game and draw in more fans. Yesterday, the fans got to witness Luka Doncic in action, with a 6x NBA champion in attendance.

Before the tip-off in Abu Dhabi, NBA stars and celebrities gathered together to celebrate the event. During this, an NBA legend received immense ovations from the crowd.

The Lakers legend was loved by the fans 8,000 miles away

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks are in Abu Dhabi. They will be having their first two preseason games at Yas Island. The Etihad Center in Yas Island was electric as the two teams took the stage. With players such as Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Karl Anthony Towns playing, the crowd was on their feet the whole time.

Along with the teams, the NBA Abu Dhabi games also featured NBA legends in the midst. Gary Payton, Tim Hardaway Sr., and Ray Allen were some of the notable legends. But among them, there was one who received immeasurable praise from the fans as he was introduced.

It was the Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The crowd erupted when the 6-time champion was introduced. Kareem waved his hand to the stands and acknowledged the fans.

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The next match is on the 7th. For October 6th, they are celebrating an NBA fan’s appreciation day. There will be celebrations, a slam dunk contest, performances from mascots, and the Mavericks performance team. T-Pain will also be performing at the event.

The events are set to commemorate the merging of basketball, international culture, and the NBA.

Luka Doncic was not enough against the Wolves

Two matches are set between the teams. The first one was yesterday, October 5th. During the same, Timberwolves got the better of the Mavericks.

Luka Doncic was electric as he started off the match. He only played in the first half but tallied 25 points in 17 minutes. Unfortunately, it was not enough to get a win against the Timberwolves, who arguably did not have their best player, Anthony Edwards.

Naz Reid also returned from his injury and gave Minnesota 19 points. But the top scorer for the team was KAT, who scored 20. Kyrie Irving was a nonfactor during the game and scored two points.  But it is still just the pre-season, and the teams are just figuring things out with their new additions.

The season officially starts on October 24th. The Denver Nuggets will have their ring ceremony and face the Lakers in the first match. Are you excited about the NBA returning this month?

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