The annual NBA regular season games played in London are disruptive — those teams play one game in a week with a lot of rest on either side to deal with travel and jet lag.
The annual games in Mexico City present no such problem — a flight from New York to Mexico City is shorter than one to Los Angeles.
The NBA announced it is returning to Mexico City for two games in December – the Brooklyn Nets will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 7, and then will face the Miami Heat, Dec. 9. Both games will be played at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico.
The NBA is sending some stars to Mexico this season: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Hassan Whiteside, Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell. There are currently no players born in Mexico on an NBA roster.
The NBA views itself as a global league that reaches out to Europe, China, and other basketball hotbeds around the globe. However, it also recognizes the power of growing the sport’s popularity both in Mexico and with immigrants — especially second and third generations — in this country. This is a step along those lines.
