Mexico City welcomes NBA preseason with an eye on the future (Via The Globe and Mail)

As the world’s top professional basketball league gears up for Sunday’s preseason launch in Mexico City, National Basketball Association officials are hinting at permanent expansion south of the border.

Sunday’s face-off between the Orlando Magic and New OrleansHornets marks the 20th exhibition game to be played in Mexico, the most of any country outside the United States or Canada, and the first such game at the brand new Mexico City Arena.

The NBA already has concrete plans to expand its Mexican footprint.

“Next year and the year after that there will be regular season games here, which is really huge,” said Cedric Ceballos, a former NBA player turned league ambassador. “Those two years are the big test to see what happens.”

Latin America is one of the league’s top growth markets, accounting for 15 to 20 per cent of international revenues, Philippe Moggio, the NBA’s vice president for Latin America, told Reuters.

Given the proximity to the United States, Ceballos said a future franchise in Mexico City would be a natural fit.

“Now that there’s a building that can house an NBA team, where we can play regular season games, it’s a natural place to be thinking about it,” said Moggio.

Ceballos, who played with said a Mexico City franchise could be established within five years.

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NBA Mexico Game 2012 to Feature Magic and Hornets (Via NBA.com)

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Zignia Live, a premier live entertainment and events company in Mexico, today announced a multiyear partnership that includes a preseason game in Mexico featuring the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Hornets on Oct. 7 at the newly launched Mexico City Arena as part of NBA Mexico Game 2012.

The game marks the NBA’s 18th visit to Mexico City and the league’s 20th game in Mexico overall, the most NBA matchups held in any country outside the United States and Canada. Game tickets are available for purchase starting July 20 through Super Boletos.

“NBA Mexico Game is an important part of our 2012 international games schedule and a great opportunity for us to connect with our fans in Mexico and across Latin America,” said Philippe Moggio, NBA Vice President, Latin America. “As the most frequent international host for NBA games, Mexico will again provide a great showcase for the game of basketball as the New Orleans Hornets and Orlando Magic put on an exciting show for our passionate fans at the new Mexico City Arena.”

In addition to the oncourt NBA action, the league and its game partners will conduct community events and programs to bring the game closer to fans.

The league first visited Mexico City in 1992, when the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs. Mexico became the only international country other than Japan, London and Canada to ever host an NBA regular-season game, when the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks in front of a sold-out arena on Dec. 6, 1997 in Mexico City. Most recently, the NBA staged its 17th game in Mexico City when the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Los Angeles Clippers by 100-99 in October 2010.

Following the announcement of NBA Mexico Game, 10 NBA teams will participate in a total of nine international games this October as part of the league's 2012 marquee international preseason schedule, which also includes NBA Europe Live presented by BBVA, NBA China Games, and the first-ever NBA Canada Series.

The Dallas Mavericks will play games in Barcelona and Berlin and the Boston Celtics will play games in Istanbul and Milan against top European basketball teams as part of NBA Europe Live presented by BBVA. NBA China Games 2012 will feature two games between the reigning NBA Champion Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers in Beijing and Shanghai. NBA Canada Series will include the Toronto Raptors and New York Knicks playing in Montreal and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons playing in Winnipeg.

To date, the NBA has staged a total of 107 games outside of the U.S. and Canada in 17 counties across Europe, the Americas and Asia.

(Via NBA.com)

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