The NBA is closing on a multi-million dollar deal that will see the league play regular season games in Manchester, England as soon as next year.
NBA on the way to Manchester?
A huge deal for the NBA to play in Manchester is reportedly close to getting over the line this year, with the league heading over to the UK for another international series.
London has previously hosted regular season games between 2011 and 2019, but there hasn’t been a league game in England since the Wizards beat the Knicks in 2019.
Should a deal go through, the regular season games would be hosted in the Manchester Co-Op Arena which has a capacity of 23,500 fans.
The Co-Op Arena would become the largest basketball venue in Europe should the NBA choose to feature a game there.
There has already been international games in Paris, France as well as London, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver has admitted to wanting to expand the brand further into other European countries such as Germany.
As well as Europe, the NBA hosted some preseason fixtures in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of this season and their strong links with City Football Group and Etihad have helped pave the way for a Manchester deal – with the City Football Group also owning Manchester’s Co-Op Arena.
The league is also reportedly in talks with both Manchester City and PSG football club as Adam Silver believes they could be the key to further expansion, with both teams sponsored by global brand Etihad.
Previous Global Games previously held in England
See below for all the previous Global Games that have been held in England, with all of the below played in London.
Date |
Away team | Home team |
Score |
Attendance |
| March 4, 2011 | Toronto Raptors | New Jersey Nets | 103–116 | 18,689 |
| March 5, 2011 | Toronto Raptors | New Jersey Nets | 136–137 (3 OT) | 18,689 |
| January 17, 2013 | New York Knicks | Detroit Pistons | 102–87 | 18,689 |
| January 16, 2014 | Brooklyn Nets | Atlanta Hawks | 127–110 | 18,689 |
| January 15, 2015 | New York Knicks | Milwaukee Bucks | 79–95 | 18,689 |
| January 14, 2016 | Toronto Raptors | Orlando Magic | 106–103 (OT) | 18,689 |
| January 12, 2017 | Indiana Pacers | Denver Nuggets | 112–140 | 18,689 |
| January 11, 2018 | Boston Celtics | Philadelphia 76ers | 114–103 | 19,078 |
| January 17, 2019 | New York Knicks | Washington Wizards | 100–101 | 19,078 |
