Paris to host first NBA regular season game as Milwaukee Bucks face Charlotte Hornets
Thursday 28 March 2019 14:20, UK
Paris will host an NBA regular-season game for the first time when the Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks meet in January 2020, organisers confirmed on Thursday.
The announcement looks almost certain to end London's nine-year run as host city for the NBA's European game - the most recent of which was in January when New York Knicks lost to the Washington Wizards in front of a sell-out O2 Arena crowd.
Paris has played host to pre-season games before, and the league had hinted several times in recent months that it was considering bringing a game that counts to the city as well.
The involvement of Charlotte in the showpiece at the AccorHotels Arena in Bercy on January 24 makes perfect sense, given that the Hornets feature Tony Parker and Nicolas Batum, two veterans of the French national team.
"Having played in the preseason in France during my career, I witnessed first-hand the passion the French fans have for NBA basketball," Hornets chairman Michael Jordan said.
"We are excited to bring our team to Paris for this history-making event."
The Hornets played a preseason game in Paris in 1994, while the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks will be going to France for the first time.
The Bucks have established themselves as one of the NBA's elite teams largely thanks to Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is sure to attract fans from his homeland.
"Playing in one of the great cities in Europe continues our goal to extend the global brand of the Bucks," Milwaukee co-owner Wes Edens said.
"We will be proud to represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin in Paris and we thank the NBA for this exciting opportunity."
The game, for which tickets will go on sale later this year, will mark the NBA's 11th in France all-time, counting exhibitions.
"The return of an NBA game in Paris, after a 10-year absence, is a real victory for our city," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said.
While it appears bad news for London, the NBA have explored the possibility of more than one regular-season game in Europe.
Speaking in London earlier this year, the NBA's Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum told reporters: "It's been one (regular season game) per year. I definitely think there's room for more than that. We will have to figure out what that optimum number is, whether that's two or three.
"I don't think there's any potential limit as long as it makes sense from a business standpoint."
