O2 Arena Hosts American Basketball

27/03/2008

London’s O2 Arena is to host another American basketball game after a sell-out crowd filled the London venue last year to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves lose out to the Boston Celtics 92-81.

The NBA has confirmed that Miami Heat will play the New Jersey Nets in a pre-season game on 12th October this year.
The match will form part of the four-game NBA Europe Live tour that will also visit the cities of Barcelona, Paris and Berlin.

NBA commissioner David Stern commented on the choice of the O2 Arena as the venue for the game: "Our third consecutive year of the NBA Europe Live is another step in our ongoing efforts to bring the excitement of the NBA to our loyal and passionate fans across Europe".

The O2 Arena is not the only London venue to host American sporting events. Last year, Wembley Stadium hosted a National Football League (NFL) game between the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins.

For the NBA, the selection of a London venue makes sense: the company has already declared its intention to establish a franchise in Europe within a decade.