Culture
NBA debuts in UAE
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island continues to develop into an international sports hub, hosting two games in North America’s National Basketball Association.
The world’s premier basketball league is playing in the United Arab Emirates for the first time.
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island hosted a preseason matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 6. The Hawks won 123-113 and the two teams will face off again on Oct. 8.
Both teams play in the National Basketball Association, which includes teams from the United States as well as one from Canada.
NBA players tend to not play much in the preseason, but Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo played 21 out 48 minutes in the first game. Antetokounmpo, who grew up in Greece in a Nigerian family, is perhaps the biggest non-American star in the game.
