NBA going back to Abu Dhabi for pair of preseason games in October

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The NBA is returning to the Persian Gulf next season.

New York and Philadelphia will play preseason games on Oct. 2 and 4 in Abu Dhabi, the league announced Thursday. It will be the fourth consecutive year that the NBA - which signed a deal with tourism officials in Abu Dhabi in 2021 - has played preseason games there.

Milwaukee and Atlanta went in 2022, Dallas and Minnesota went in 2023, and Boston and Denver opened the 2024 preseason there. USA Basketball also visited Abu Dhabi for games preceding the 2023 Basketball World Cup in the Philippines and the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It’s the third overseas preseason destination announced by the NBA for next season, joining China - which the league is planning to visit for the first time in six years - and Australia.

New Orleans will travel to Melbourne for games against a pair of Australian teams, Melbourne United on Oct. 3 and South East Melbourne Phoenix on Oct. 5. Those games will mark the first time an NBA team plays in Australia.

And in China, it’ll be Brooklyn and Phoenix facing off in the gambling hub of Macao on Oct. 10 and Oct. 12.