Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, met with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and National Basketball Association (NBA) Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum, and NBA players in Abu Dhabi to discuss further opportunities for collaboration during the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 series.
Partnership between NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 is part of a strategic four-year partnership between the NBA and Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) to host preseason games and activations in the Middle East for the first time. The partnership also sees DCT Abu Dhabi serve as the Official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA in China, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, further enhancing the emirate’s position as a leading destination for international sports events.
Youth engagement and development
Central to the partnership is youth engagement and development through initiatives such as the Jr NBA Abu Dhabi League. This year, the league engaged 900 players aged between 11 and 14 from the emirate’s schools, fostering teamwork and collaboration and providing young people with access to world-leading talent and expertise.
NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 series has brought together the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks over two games at Etihad Arena. Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak and Saood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Chairman and Under-Secretary of DCT Abu Dhabi, also attended the meeting with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Mark Cuban, Mark Tatum, and NBA players. They discussed exploring further opportunities for collaboration during the event.
The NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi’s partnership aims to promote sports events in the Middle East while engaging and developing youth through initiatives such as the Jr NBA Abu Dhabi League. The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 series is part of this partnership, which also sees DCT Abu Dhabi serve as the Official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA in China, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
