The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) have announced an extension of their existing collaboration that will feature preseason NBA Global Games, expanded marketing activities, and the launch of an NBA Global Academy in Abu Dhabi. The long-term extension will also bring additional youth development and fan programming to the emirate and surrounding communities for years to come.
NBA Global Academy, which will be based in Abu Dhabi and serve as the global hub for the league’s NBA Academy programme, will be a year-round elite basketball development and academic programme 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 UAE-based boys, basketball development activities for UAE-based girls and residential programming for up to 24 male prospects from the rest of the world.
His Excellency 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, diversifying the economy, 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 to our capital, the NBA’s youth programmes and grassroots initiatives encourage healthy, active lifestyles and connect our residents to the universal values of sport. This multi-year commitment reflects Abu Dhabi’s ambition to be a hub for culture, entertainment and excellence, for both our residents and visitors alike.”
Mark Tatum, Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the NBA said: “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 NBA Global Academy that will help develop elite-level players from the region and around the world.”
Additional details about future NBA preseason games in Abu Dhabi, including the schedule and participating teams, will be announced at a later date.
The collaboration will see DCT Abu Dhabi, through its destination brand Experience Abu Dhabi, once 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 extended collaboration between DCT Abu Dhabi and the NBA 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.
Abu Dhabi will also host two annual basketball tournaments featuring top youth and elite players from around the world. The initiative began with the 2025 NBA Academy Showcase in the emirate, which was held at the NYU Abu Dhabi campus from 25-27 September 2025 and featured top high-school-age players from four elite basketball programmes: NBA Academy Africa (Senegal), IMG Academy (US), INSEP (France) and the Basketball Australia Centre of Excellence.
The NBA Academy programme provides a holistic approach to player development and a predictable pathway to maximise their potential. The programme emphasises health and wellness, character development, and life skills and gives athletes the opportunity to learn the game from coaches with professional, collegiate and international experience. More than 150 NBA Academy student-athletes have represented their national teams at various levels, more than 100 have committed to or gone on to attend NCAA Division I schools in the US, and more than 40 have played, are playing, or have signed to play professionally, including 15 who have advanced to the NBA.
The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2025 presented by ADQ featured two sold-out preseason games between the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers on 2 and 4 October at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The games were part of a multi-year collaboration between the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi that features preseason NBA Global Games, the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Abu Dhabi League, a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, an NBA 2K League exhibition event and a series of Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA and NBA Cares clinics promoting health and wellness while teaching the fundamentals of the sport and instilling core values including teamwork, respect and sportsmanship.
NBA games have aired in the UAE since the 1987-88 season. Six NBA teams have played pre-season games in Abu Dhabi since 2022. Since the inaugural NBA Abu Dhabi Games, basketball participation has increased by 60 per cent in the UAE and basketball’s fanbase in the country has grown by more than 25 per cent, according to YouGov research.
