The NBA has announced that the New York Knicks and Washington Wizards will meet in the 2019 London game. The two franchises are scheduled to meet at the O2 Arena on January 17. This will be the league's ninth regular-season encounter in London as part of its Global Games series. This will be the Wizards' first trip across the pond but it'll be the third appearance for the Knicks after they faced the Detroit Pistons in 2013 and the Milwaukee Bucks in 2015. According to the NBA, all of the previous eight games have been sellouts as the popularity continues to grow each year. "We've been playing regular-season match-ups in London for nearly a decade, and over that time the games and the surrounding festivities have grown into the equivalent of an NBA All-Star experience transported to Europe," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said after the game announcement. "Fans and partners from across the continent come to celebrate basketball and enjoy the excitement and experience of an NBA game." Success The game has become a huge hit with fans in the UK and last season's clash between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers - arguably the most high-profile showdown - saw tickets sold out within minutes. "Bringing regular-season NBA games to London has become a staple of the sports calendar and is testament to the popularity of our league that fans from across Europe will descend on The O2 for another great game,” said NBA EME Senior Vice President and Managing Director Benjamin Morel. Fans inside the O2 will be treated to the talents of Washington's exciting All-Star duo John Wall and Bradley Beal for the first time. “It will be an honor to represent the Washington Wizards organisation as we play our first game in the UK," Wall said. "I look forward to connecting with our fans in London and using the experience to further bond as a team.” One man who was part of the previous Knicks team to feature in London was Tim Hardaway Jr. and he's looking forward to the experience once again. “I am excited to return to London. We had a great experience during our last visit in 2015 playing in front of passionate fans and are looking forward to another trip overseas,” he said. Another sell-out crowd is expected for next season's matchup and it should prove to be a wonderful game yet again. CLICK HERE to listen to Episode Two of the new GiveMeSport NBA podcast, featuring New York Times senior writer Marc Stein. Subscribe for all future episodes. News Now - Sport News<doc-sep>The New York Knicks will face the Washington Wizards in London next year When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. Sign up fornow and never miss the top F1 stories again For one week in the regular season, UK fans get a chance to watch the NBA up close and personal when the league sends over two teams to compete in a match at the 02 Arena. The event has been going on now since 2011 with players such as Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving and Joel Embiid among many to have entertained fans in the London over the past few years. And the 2019 edition will see two Eastern Conference rivals face off when the Knicks take on the Wizards. As long as the two rosters remain the same this summer, fans could be set to watch All-Stars such as John Wall, Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis.<doc-sep>First Name Last Name We will use the details you have shared to manage your registration. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your registration as described in our Privacy Policy. Would you like to receive The WeekDay email newsletter? We will use the details you have shared to manage your newsletter subscription. You agree to the processing, storage, sharing and use of this information for the purpose of managing your subscription as described in our Privacy Policy. We will use the information you have shared for carefully considered and specific purposes, where we believe we have a legitimate case to do so, for example to send you communications about similar products and services we offer. You can find out more about our legitimate interest activity in our privacy policy. If you wish to object to the use of your data in this way, please tick here. ‘We’ includes The Week and other Dennis Group brands as detailed here<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) announced today that the Washington Wizards will face the New York Knicks at the NBA London Game 2019 at The O2 on Thursday, Jan. 17. “We are excited about the opportunity to play our first overseas regular season game in London next year,” said Monumental Sports & Entertainment Founder, Chairman, Majority Owner and CEO Ted Leonsis. “The Wizards have a long tradition of playing international exhibition games and we love the chance to be global ambassadors for the game. We’re looking forward to getting the chance to play in front of fans in the UK.” The contest in London will mark the first time the Wizards franchise has played a regular season game outside of North America. In their history, the Wizards have played exhibition contests outside the United States in Israel, China (becoming the first U.S. professional sports team to be invited to China in September 1979), The Philippines, The Bahamas, Mexico, Germany, Spain and Brazil. The last time the franchise played overseas occurred in 2013, when the Wizards faced the Chicago Bulls in the first-ever NBA preseason game played in Brazil. “It will be an honor to represent the Washington Wizards organization as we play our first game in the UK,” said Wizards guard John Wall. “I look forward to connecting with our fans in London and using the experience to further bond as a team.” The Wizards currently feature three international players on their roster, including Tomas Satoransky (Czech Republic), Marcin Gortat (Poland) and Ian Mahinmi (France). The game will be broadcast by the NBA’s broadcast partners across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, and on NBA League Pass International. The NBA London Game 2019 will mark the league’s ninth regular-season game in London. All eight previous regular-season NBA games in London have sold out. In addition to the on-court action, the NBA London Game 2019 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 London. Fans can visit NBA.com/London to register their interest in tickets and gain access to presale information and more by visiting www.NBA.com/London.