The NBA announced Thursday that the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers will travel to London for a regular-season game at The O2 Arena on Jan. 12, 2017.
“We are thrilled to return for our seventh regular-season game in London,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “With almost 25 percent of players in the NBA born outside of the United States, we are seeing firsthand the global growth of our game, which has never been more popular in the U.K.”
Denver will be considered the home team, and tickets will go on sale at the start of the season.
The game will mark both teams’ first trip to the U.K. It will be the first time the Pacers play a regular-season game overseas.
“I’m really excited and thankful the NBA is allowing us to reach out to our fans in London,” Pacers forward Paul George said. “This is great exposure for our team and our franchise. I think it will be a great experience for us and the fans in attendance.”
Danilo Gallinari of Italy, the Nuggets leading scorer last season, is also relishing the opportunity to play overseas.
“It will be a true honor and a great experience to represent both the Nuggets and the NBA in London as part of the NBA Global Games in 2017,” he said. “Our entire team and organization are looking forward to this opportunity to showcase our league to fans overseas.”
