Today's Edition
Kuumar Shyam (Aletihad)
The Minnesota Timberwolves swept past the Dallas Mavericks at the conclusion of the two-match NBA Abu Dhabi Games series at Etihad Arena, but the roots of a historic beginning were being laid out on the sidelines. His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, met with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and National Basketball Association (NBA) Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum, along with NBA players, in Abu Dhabi.
Also attending the meeting were His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak and His Excellency Stood Abdulaziz Al Hosani, Chairman and Undersecretary of DCT-Abu Dhabi, respectively. The discussions showed the seriousness behind the decision to bring basketball to Abu Dhabi and transform the UAE into a hub for everything about the sport in the Asia region. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver also spoke to the media at a roundtable, citing plans as such. A strong sellout crowd for both games only further established the ambience for the talks, where the officials discussed exploring additional opportunities for collaboration.
The NBA matches formed part of a strategic four-year partnership between the NBA and DCT-Abu Dhabi to host preseason games and activations in the Middle East for the first time. The partnership also sees DCT Abu Dhabi, under Visit Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi’s tourism promotion initiative), serving as the official Tourism Destination Partner of the NBA in China, Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa, further enhancing the emirate’s position as a leading destination for international sports events. Central to the partnership is youth engagement and development through initiatives such as the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League.
This year, the league engaged 900 players between ages 11 and 14 from the emirate’s schools, fostering teamwork and collaboration while providing young people with access to world-leading talent and expertise. Tatum said the NBA has ramped up its investment in Abu Dhabi.
There were visits from legends on Saturday night, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Ray Allen, and Tim Hardaway to meet UAE fans and conduct coaching clinics in the country. Many athletes from other sports like Brazilian footballer Ronaldo and Emirati UFC fighter Mohammed Yahya were present, too. Jason Kidd and Chris Finch, coaches of both teams told Aletihad how the trip to the UAE capital and Yas Island was also about some work mixed with some fun. Mavericks’ coach Kidd almost repeated Finch at the pre-match conference in expressing happiness about “the boys getting to spend time together away from the court”. “We went to the mosque (Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque), the Yas Mall… and there was some time in the desert with dinner under the stars. This has been definitely good for the players to get to know each other, which sometimes is not possible during the hectic season once it starts.” His counterpart Finch called the crowd gathered at the Eihad Arena “outstanding”. “You could feel the buzz starting to build around the game,” he said.
“It felt like much more than a pre-season game.” It was an identical story for the court action. The Mavericks tried to soak in the pressure at the start, and attempts to rally from deficits held promise by the end of the third quarter, but Wolves pulled away. They won 111-99 and 104-96, respectively.
