NBA announces Cleveland Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets will play in NBA Paris Game 2024
The NBA is more international than it has ever been and the league is looking to capitalize on the global interest by scheduling more and more games abroad.
The NBA’s international tour will continue in the 2023/24 season, and on Wednesday, they announced who would be participating in the league’s Paris Game 2024 which will tip off in early January. The Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers will head overseas for what at the moment is the only scheduled game across the pond.
The Nets have played in Paris once before, but that came in a preseason tour while the Cavs have played exhibition games in Brazil and China. This will be the third regular season game played in Paris and second in as many seasons.
The first regular season game played on French soil came back in January 2020, where Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks played the Charlotte Hornets at the AccorHotels Arena. Last season the Chicago Bulls beat the Detroit Pistons in Paris, as fans packed the stands to get a glimpse of the best basketball players in the world.
France catching up to rest of world
It’s no surprise that France is getting more and more attention from the NBA. With the arrival of Victor Wembenyama in San Antonio, you would have to think it’s only a matter of time before the Spurs make a trip to the City of Lights.
French influence is no common thing in the NBA. Guys like Tony Parker and Boris Diaw have blazed the trail for Top 10 picks from this year’s NBA Draft, Wembanyama and Bilal Coulibaly.
With the Olympics heading to Paris next summer, the NBA Paris Game 2024 will only raise the profile of the sport in an already basketball crazy country.