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NBA

NBA in Mexico: How many official games have been played in Mexico City?

With the NBA playing in Mexico City for the first time since 2019, we take a look at how many times the show has been taken south of the border.

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - DECEMBER 17: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media prior to the game of the Miami Heat against the San Antonio Spurs as part of the NBA Mexico Games 2022 on December 17, 2022 at Ciudad de Mexico Arena in Mexico City, Mexico. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.  Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Garrett EllwoodGetty

The NBA took the show to Mexico for the first time since 2019 when the Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs 111-101 at Arena Ciudad de Mexico on Saturday. With much of the focus over the past few covid-dominated seasons being on the far east, the NBA’s chilango fans finally got another taste of big-time hoops.

The NBA international series started off back in the 1990s with a strong focus on Europe, the far east, and Mexico. The first NBA game ever held in Latin America was in 1992, when the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks played a preseason game in Mexico City.

Over the intervening 30 years, there have been 31 NBA games, including both pre-season and regular season matchups held in Mexico, with the capital hosting 29 of those games and Monterrey hosting two.

Paris is slated to host a regular season NBA game in January 2023, but there are plans to bring the NBA back to Mexico City next season.