NBA Global Games
NBA Global Games isn't a standings or champions competition — it's an ongoing series of individual preseason and regular-season games the NBA has played outside the United States and Canada since 1978. Rather than attempt an exhaustive log of every exhibition ever played abroad (the NBA now plays several a year, and not every one is reliably sourceable), this page tracks every verified milestone: the first game in each country/region, the first true regular-season game played abroad, and the two recurring fixtures that define today's program. Sourced and cross-checked; see the full basketball competitions directory for how this fits alongside the NBA and the sport's other competitions.
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
First NBA game ever played outside North America: 1978, Tel Aviv, Israel (Washington Bullets vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv). First true regular-season game abroad: 1990, Tokyo, Japan (Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz). 17 verified milestones tracked below, from 1978 through the present recurring Mexico City and Paris fixtures.
| Year | Milestone | Location | Teams | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | First NBA game ever played outside North America (exhibition) | Tel Aviv, Israel | Washington Bullets vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv | On September 7, 1978, the reigning NBA champion Washington Bullets lost 98-97 to Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv at Yad Eliyahu Arena in front of roughly 10,000 fans — a one-off exhibition, not part of any ongoing international program, but the first time an NBA team played a game outside North America. |
| 1988 | First McDonald's Championship played abroad (start of a recurring exhibition series) | Madrid, Spain | Boston Celtics (NBA representative) vs. European club teams | The McDonald's Open/Championship, an annual preseason exhibition tournament pitting one NBA team against top European clubs, debuted in 1987 in Milwaukee (on U.S. soil); its second edition in 1988 was the first played abroad, with the Boston Celtics representing the NBA in Madrid and winning the tournament behind Larry Bird. This began a recurring annual NBA-team-tours-Europe exhibition series through the 1990s, distinct from the earlier 1978 one-off game. Note: Some casual sources cite 1988 as "the first NBA game abroad," conflating the start of this recurring McDonald's Open series with the actual first game abroad, which was 1978 (see above). |
| 1990 | First NBA regular-season game ever played outside North America | Tokyo, Japan | Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz | The Suns and Jazz opened the 1990-91 season with a two-game series at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Phoenix won the first game, played November 2, 1990, 119-96 (Tom Chambers had 38 points and 10 rebounds); Utah won the rematch the next night, 102-101. NBA commissioner David Stern called it the first time any major U.S. professional sports league had held a regular-season game outside North America — the single most significant milestone in this program's history. |
| 1991 | First NBA preseason game in the Caribbean | Nassau, Bahamas | Miami Heat vs. Washington Bullets | The Heat and Bullets played a preseason exhibition in Nassau in October 1991, the inaugural NBA game held in the Caribbean region. |
| 1992 | First NBA game in Latin America (preseason) | Mexico City, Mexico | Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks | Houston beat Dallas in a preseason game on October 27, 1992, the NBA's first-ever contest in Mexico, featuring Hakeem Olajuwon. This began what became the league's longest-running international market outside Canada. |
| 1993 | First NBA game in the United Kingdom / continental launch of Europe touring games | London, England | Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks | The Magic beat the Hawks 120-95 on October 30, 1993 at London Arena, the first NBA game played in the UK; the Hawks won a rematch the following night, 113-101. This launched what later became branded as the NBA Europe Live Tour. |
| 1997 | First NBA regular-season game in Latin America | Mexico City, Mexico | Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks | Houston won 108-106 at the Palacio de los Deportes on December 6, 1997 — the first NBA regular-season game played in Latin America. Charles Barkley had 19 points and 17 rebounds for Houston; Dallas's Michael Finley scored a career-high 35 in the loss. |
| 2004 | First NBA games in China | Shanghai and Beijing, China | Houston Rockets vs. Sacramento Kings | The Rockets and Kings played the NBA's first-ever games in China as part of the inaugural NBA China Games, doubling as a homecoming for Houston's Yao Ming: the Rockets won in Shanghai on October 14, 2004, and the Kings won the Beijing rematch 91-89 on October 17, 2004. |
| 2011 | First NBA regular-season game in Europe | London, England | New Jersey Nets vs. Toronto Raptors | The Nets beat the Raptors 116-103 at The O2 Arena on March 4, 2011, in a game that went to triple overtime — the first regular-season NBA game ever played in Europe, and the start of an annual NBA London Game that ran through the mid-2010s. |
| 2013 | First NBA game in Southeast Asia | Manila, Philippines | Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers | The Rockets beat the Pacers 116-96 at the Mall of Asia Arena on October 10, 2013, the first-ever NBA preseason game held in Southeast Asia. |
| 2013 | First NBA game in South America | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards | The Bulls and Wizards played a preseason game in Rio de Janeiro on October 12, 2013, featuring Brazilian-born Wizards center Nene — the first NBA game ever played in South America. |
| 2019 | First NBA games in India (preseason) | Mumbai, India | Sacramento Kings vs. Indiana Pacers | The Kings and Pacers played the NBA's first-ever games in India, a two-game preseason series in Mumbai; Indiana won the October 4, 2019 opener 130-106. As of this writing no NBA regular-season game has been played in India. |
| 2020 | First NBA regular-season game in France | Paris, France | Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks | The NBA Paris Game 2020, played January 24, 2020, was the first-ever NBA regular-season game held in France. The next Paris regular-season game did not happen until 2023, after the COVID-19 pandemic paused the international schedule. |
| 2022 | First NBA games in the United Arab Emirates | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks | Played under a multiyear NBA-Abu Dhabi partnership signed in November 2021, the Hawks swept a two-game preseason series from the Bucks in October 2022, winning the opener 123-113 on October 6 — the first NBA games ever played in the UAE. Abu Dhabi has hosted recurring NBA preseason games annually since. |
| 2019-2025 | Mexico City Games (recurring regular-season fixture) | Mexico City, Mexico | Various matchups | Since the late 2010s, Mexico City Arena has hosted an annual regular-season NBA game — notable editions include Phoenix's 108-105 win over San Antonio in January 2017 (Devin Booker 39 points, Kawhi Leonard 38), Luka Doncic's 41-point triple-double for Dallas against Detroit in December 2019, and Atlanta's 120-119 win over Orlando in December 2023 (Trae Young, 41 points). Through 2024, Mexico had hosted 32 total NBA games (30 of them in Mexico City), spanning preseason and regular season, making it the league's most frequent international market outside Canada. |
| 2023-2025 | Paris Games (recurring regular-season fixture) | Paris, France | Various matchups | After the 2020 debut and a pandemic-driven hiatus, the NBA resumed annual regular-season games in Paris starting January 19, 2023, when the Bulls beat the Pistons 126-108 at Accor Arena — since which Paris has become, alongside Mexico City, one of the two recurring international regular-season markets for the league. |
| 2025 | First NBA games in Australia | Melbourne, Australia | New Orleans Pelicans vs. Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix (NBL clubs) | The Pelicans became the first NBA team to play in Australia, beating Melbourne United 107-97 on October 3, 2025. Unlike every other entry in this list, these were preseason games against Australian NBL clubs rather than NBA-vs-NBA matchups — no NBA team had played another NBA team in Australia as of this writing. |
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