NBA deepens its ties with Abu Dhabi with a long-term agreement renewal

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has renewed its partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), thus making sure that the UAE capital is not just the host venue of its preseason NBA Global Games, but will also be the home of an NBA Global Academy.

The long-term extension will also bring additional youth development and fan programming to Abu Dhabi for years to come.

Abu Dhabi becomes NBA Academy Hub

The academy, which will be based in Abu Dhabi and serve as the global hub for the league’s program, will be a year-round elite basketball development and academic program for top high-school-age student-athletes from the UAE, the Middle East and around the world.

The academy will include elite development programming for up to 20 local boys, basketball development activities for local girls and residential programming for up to 24 male prospects from rest of the world.

Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “Extending our partnership with the NBA further strengthens Abu Dhabi’s position as the new home of basketball in the Middle East and reinforces our commitment to our youth, inspiring our community, and elevating the emirate’s standing as a global destination.

“The establishment of the NBA Global Academy in Abu Dhabi will open pathways for Emirati and UAE-based athletes, coaches and sports professionals to learn from the world’s best, while our long-term hosting of the NBA Global Games will inspire the next generation.

“Beyond bringing world-class sporting events, the NBA’s youth programs and grassroots initiatives encourage healthy, active lifestyles and connect our residents to the universal values of sport.”

The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025, presented by ADQ, featured two sold-out preseason games between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers on October 2 and October 4 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. Eight teams have played preseason games in Abu Dhabi since 2022.

Additional details about future NBA preseason games in Abu Dhabi will be announced at a later date.

Strategic sports alliance goes global

DCT Abu Dhabi, through its destination brand ‘Experience Abu Dhabi’, will again serve as the Official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA in the Middle East, China and Europe while expanding the territories in the destination partnership to also include Africa, Asia Canada and Latin America.

The collaboration will also feature the expansion of youth development programming that has reached more than 20,000 boys and girls since 2022, including plans to expand from the four existing Jr NBA/Jr WNBA leagues in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain region to six leagues this fall and 12 leagues by 2028.

Two annual basketball tournaments, featuring top youth and elite players from around the world, will also be held in Abu Dhabi. This started with the 2025 NBA Academy Showcase in Abu Dhabi, which was held at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus in September, and featured top high-school-age players from four elite basketball programs: NBA Academy Africa (Senegal), IMG Academy (US), INSEP (France) and the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.

More than 150 NBA Academy student-athletes have represented their national teams at various levels, and more than 100 have committed to, or gone on to, attend NCAA Division I schools in the US. As many as 15 of them have advanced to the NBA.

Mark Tatum, NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, added: “Our collaboration with DCT Abu Dhabi has been instrumental in growing basketball participation and fandom in the UAE and across the Middle East. We look forward to building on those efforts in the years to come, including through the launch of an NBA Global Academy that will help develop elite-level players from the region and around the world.”