[The NBA Paris Game 2020]
The NBA Paris Game 2020 Presented by beIN SPORTS will be broadcast live in France and across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on beIN SPORTS, by the NBA’s broadcast partners across Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa, and on NBA League Pass, reaching fans in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
Photo: Facebook
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and beIN SPORTS (beIN), the official broadcast partner of the NBA in France, announced that the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks will play in the NBA’s first regular-season game in Paris on Friday, January 24, 2020, at the AccorHotels Arena.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Charlotte Hornets Chairman Michael Jordan, and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens all spoke previously about tonight’s game.
“Our NBA Paris Game will showcase the continued global growth of basketball in one of the world’s greatest cities,” said Silver. “With France leading a record number of players from Europe in the league, we look forward to bringing together basketball fans from across the continent for the NBA’s first regular-season game in Paris.”
“The Charlotte Hornets are proud to have the opportunity to participate in the first NBA regular-season game in Paris,” said Jordan. “Having played in the preseason in France during my career, I witnessed first-hand the passion the French fans have for NBA basketball. We are excited to bring our team to Paris for this history-making event.”
“We are honored to be selected to play in the NBA’s first-ever regular-season game in Paris,” said Edens. “Playing in one of the great cities in Europe continues our goal to extend the global brand of the Bucks. We will be proud to represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin in Paris and we thank the NBA for this exciting opportunity.”
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, also voiced enthusiasm for tonight’s game.
“The return of an NBA game in Paris, after a 10-year absence, is a real victory for our city,” said Hidalgo. “It is the result of a commitment by my staff, through all our efforts with the Paris Basketball team and all the sports clubs in Paris. From the successful organization of the 2016 football Euros to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have successfully put Paris at the forefront of the world’s sporting capitals. I am very happy that in 2020 we can offer such an event to all Parisians, and French lovers of basketball.”
The NBA Paris Game 2020 will mark the Hornets’ second game in Paris, having played a preseason game in the French capital in 1994 against the Golden State Warriors. The Hornets’ roster currently features three-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker, four-time NBA Champion Tony Parker (France) and fellow countryman Nicolas Batum.
The Bucks will be playing their first game in France, having previously played a regular-season game in London in 2015. The Bucks, who have the best record in the NBA, currently features three-time NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), who led the Eastern Conference in fan votes during NBA All-Star Voting 2019 presented by Google, as well as 2019 NBA All-Star Khris Middleton and 2016-17 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. The game will be the NBA’s 10th game at the AccorHotels Arena since 1991 and the 11th game in France all-time.
The NBA Paris Game 2020 Presented by beIN SPORTS will be broadcast live in France and across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) on beIN SPORTS, by the NBA’s broadcast partners across Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa, and on NBA League Pass, reaching fans in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
The game will be supported by a full roster of marketing partners, including presenting partner beIN SPORTS, Beats, Nike, and Tissot, with additional partners to be announced in the coming months.
In addition to the on court action, The NBA Paris Game 2020 Presented by beIN SPORTS will feature a variety of interactive fan activities, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives and Jr. NBA basketball programming that will bring the NBA experience to fans in Paris.
The NBA’s presence in France spans more than 35 years, with NBA games and programming on-the-air in France since the 1984-85 season. Fans can currently enjoy a daily customized show ‘NBA Extra’ and 14 live games per week, including two-weekend primetime games on beIN SPORTS. Opening-night rosters for the 2018-19 NBA season featured nine French players, more than any European country for the 12th consecutive season. In addition to 10 preseason games in France, the league has conducted interactive fan events, appearances by current and former players, NBA Cares community outreach initiatives, and in 2007, Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program. The Jr. NBA ‘Challenges Benjamin(e)s’ program in partnership with the French Basketball Federation (FFBB), now in its 12th year, has seen more than 200,000 boys and girls participate from across the country.
The NBA also recently announced an expanded partnership with the Union Nationale du Sport Scolaire (UNSS) to launch two Jr. NBA FFBB UNSS leagues in Paris. Fans in France can find more NBA information at www.NBA.com/France, the NBA’s official website hosted on beinsports.com, from the NBA App (App StoreGoogle Play), and on Facebook (NBA France) and Twitter (@NBAFrance). Fans can also purchase all the latest Hornets and Bucks merchandise at www.NBAStore.eu.
