MELBOURNE (Reuters) – The New Orleans Pelicans will play two Melbourne teams in pre-season games in Melbourne in October, bringing the National Basketball Association (NBA) to Australia for the first time.
The Pelicans will play the National Basketball League’s (NBL) Melbourne United on October 3 and South East Melbourne Phoenix two days later at Melbourne Park, the leagues announced on Tuesday.
“Bringing the Pelicans and NBA to Australia for the first time is a proud milestone,” Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha said in a statement.
“This is just the beginning of what we hope will be a lasting connection between the Pelicans and the basketball community in Australia.”
Melbourne United, who have featured NBA players Patty Mills, Andrew Gaze and Matthew Dellavedova on their roster over the years, are currently 1-0 up in the NBL championship series against the Illawarra Hawks.
South East Melbourne were an expansion team who entered the NBL in 2019 and lost to the Hawks in the playoff semi-finals this season.
More and more Australians are watching the NBA with the country notching the highest viewing figures outside the United States on the league’s digital platform in the 2023-24 season.
A record 14 Australians, including Mills, Ben Simmons and Joe Ingles, are playing in the NBA this season.
“The significance of this announcement for basketball in Australia and the NBL can’t be overstated,” said NBL Executive Director Larry Kestelman.
“Hosting an NBA team in Australia has been a long-held dream for everyone at the NBL, and to see this initiative finally come to fruition after a 15-year journey shows that much can be accomplished when you ‘Dream Big’.”
The Melbourne Cricket Ground will host the first National Football League (NFL) regular season game in Australia in 2026, the league announced last month.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks played a regular season baseball double-header in Sydney in 2014, while the National Hockey League (NHL)’s Arizona Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings played pre-season games in Melbourne in 2023.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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