They go on sale this Thursday, 30 June.
With the Atlanta Hawks taking on defending NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks in Abu Dhabi later this year – 6 and 8 October – there’s nothing but good news for basketball fans. Not only will the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 mark the league’s first games in the UAE, but tickets will go on sale this Thursday at 1pm at nbaevents.nba.com/abu-dhabi. Both pre-season games will be played at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. Special ticket packages comprising premium access, VIP experiences, hospitality, and local hotel accommodations will also be available for purchase.
As part of the big announcement, the league has also named four-time NBA champion and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal as the official ambassador of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022. In this capacity, O’Neal – who was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October as the league tipped off its landmark 75th Anniversary Season – will attend the games, participate in youth development programming, and interact with local fans.
The Hawks currently feature two-time NBA All-Star Trae Young, 2020-21 NBA rebounding leader Clint Capela, and 2018 NBA All-Rookie Second Team members John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanović. The Bucks, meanwhile, feature two-time Kia NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, three-time NBA All-Star Khris Middleton, and four-time NBA All-Defensive Team member Jrue Holiday. The two teams met in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, with the Bucks going on to win their first NBA championship in 50 years.
The games will air live in the UAE and across the Middle East and North Africa on beIN SPORTS, The Sports Channel, and NBA League Pass, thereby reaching fans in over 200 countries and territories worldwide via television, digital media and social media. The games are part of a groundbreaking multi-year partnership between the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi that, earlier this year, saw the launch of the first Jr. League, a youth basketball league for 450 boys and girls ages 11 to 14 from local schools across the capital. The partnership also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event at Middle East Film & Comic Con.
GO: Visit https://nbaevents.nba.com/abu-dhabi for more information.
