Why the Nets are playing two NBA games in Mexico City
The NBA keeps playing regular season games in Mexico City, and they have a good reason for it.
On Thursday and Saturday, the Brooklyn Nets will host two “home” games in Mexico City at Arena Ciudad de Mexico against the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat.
These will be the 25th and 26th games played in Mexico City, and this year also marks the 25th anniversary of the first NBA game played here. This is part of the NBA’s Global Games initiative, which has hosted more than 160 games since it began in 1978.
How can I watch these games?
BROOKLYN NETS VS. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Time: 10 p.m. ET
Location: Arena Ciudad de Mexico
How to watch: YES, Fox Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass
BROOKLYN NETS VS. MIAMI HEAT
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Location: Arena Ciudad de Mexico
How to watch: NBA TV, Fubo.tv, Sling TV
What was the first game held in Mexico City?
The Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets met during the preseason in Oc 1992. The most exciting play of the night came from Hakeem Olajuwon, whose chair collapsed when he went to sit down late in the game.
How frequently has the NBA hosted regular season games here?
In December 1997, the Mavericks and the Rockets also played the first regular season game in Mexico City. It came after five straight years of hosting preseason games in the city.
In 2013, the league tried to renew a regular season series, but the Timberwolves and Spurs game was postponed when a generator blew and smoke filled the arena.
In 2014 and 2015, games were successfully played, and in 2016, the Phoenix Suns hosted two games in Mexico City for the first time. In 2017, the NBA has Brooklyn following in their footsteps.
You can expect the two-game homestands to continue in the near future.
Where are the games hosted?
Arena Ciudad de Mexico is a world-class stadium. When the Mavericks visited last season, I heard only good things from players and team employees who took the trip. The modern stadium was opened in 2012 in Azcapotzalco, a municipality in the northwest part of Mexico City, and can seat up to 22,300 fans.
Will permanent basketball make it to Mexico City?
Yes! The New York Times reported on Thursday that the NBA is looking to start a G-League franchise in Mexico City as soon as next season.
This franchise would not serve as an affiliate to any NBA organization, and instead exist as a locally owned and operated team. The other details are sparse so far, but that’s still on the horizon.
What else is the NBA doing for Mexico City?
The league will open a training and development center academy, working alongside CONADE (Mexico's National Commission for Physical Culture and Sport) and the Mexican Basketball Federation. This is the league’s seventh international training academy.
What about expansion?
If the G-League team sounds like a trial run for an actual NBA franchise coming to Mexico City, then you are an astute observer. In all likelihood, that’s exactly what this is. The NBA would love to tap into the global Latin American market and grow basketball there, too. A G-League team is a start, but what would really make that happen is a full-time franchise.
SB Nation’s Tom Ziller made the case for Mexico City expansion last year:
The Mexico City metropolitan area is home to 21 million people. It’s the 19th-biggest city in the world. And it’s only a three-hour flight from Dallas! Beyond that, no professional league American teams call Mexico City home. The NBA would have the market (and really the entirety of Mexico) to itself, with the exception of high-level Mexican league soccer. There’d also be a huge market among Mexican-Americans without strong NBA allegiances. Plus, Mexico City Arena is fairly new (built in 2012), has hosted regular season games, and features loads of rich investors (Carlos Slim, NBA owner?). This is the big money play for the NBA.
Is the NBA planning to expand soon?
NBA commissioner Adam Silver has described expansion as “inevitable.” At the same time, he has stressed that expansion or relocation is not imminent for any franchise.
Here’s what it would take for the NBA to expand, here are some locations that it could expand to, and here’s what an expansion draft would look like. We’re probably still a few years away from this becoming a realistic goal, but expansion will eventually hit the NBA. Why not Mexico City?