The NBA Finals may have just finished up, but the professional basketball scene is already preparing for this upcoming season. Now, the NBA and the National Basketball League of Australia have announced that six U.S. teams will host squads from down under as part of the 2018-19 preseason exhibition games.
This marks the second year in a row that the Australian league will bring its top players to America for some friendly competition. The five Aussie teams will visit the U.S. from September 28 to October 5. This will include a highly-anticipated meeting between Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons, who hails from Australia and has made big waves at the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Melbourne United. That game, set for September 28, will also include coach Brett Brown, the former Australian national team coach.
One of these games will be held in the valley, as the Phoenix Suns gear up to welcome the New Zealand Breakers on October 3.
Other games will include the Utah Jazz and Denver with the Perth Wildcats, as well as Utah and the Adelaide 36ers on October 5. Toronto will play Melbourne at Scotiabank Arena on October 5, while the Los Angeles Clippers will play ex-NBA player Andrew Bogut and the Sydney Kings in Honolulu on September 30.
For more information, please visit the official NBA website at www.nba.com/