New York, NY (Sports Network) - The NBA will play preseason games in eight cities around the world next October.
Eight teams will participate in the latest global outreach that will include the first NBA preseason games in Brazil and the Philippines.
"Providing fans with an authentic NBA experience is an important part of our efforts to grow the game globally," said NBA commissioner David Stern in a statement Tuesday. "This fall, nearly a third of our teams will embark on a global tour that will celebrate the game of basketball, give our international fans a chance to connect with NBA teams and players, and leave a lasting impact in each of the communities we visit."
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Philadelphia 76ers will face an international team before squaring off against each other in Manchester, England on Oct. 8. The Thunder will play five-time Turkish League champ Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul in Istanbul, while the 76ers will meet Uxue Bilbao Basket in Bilbao, Spain.
The Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers will travel to Asia for a pair of games, the first on Oct. 10 in Manila, Philippines and the second three days later in Taipei, Taiwan.
Chicago and Washington will visit Rio de Janeiro, host of the 2016 Olympics, on Oct. 12, while the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers will play a pair of games in China -- the first on Oct. 15 in Beijing and the second three days later in Shanghai.
To date, the NBA has staged 138 preseason and regular-season games in 19 countries and territories across Europe, the Americas and Asia since 1978.
