New Orleans pelicans will play two NBL teams in the first NBA games in Australia

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Melbourne – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball League of Australia (NBL) today announced that the New Orleans Pelicans will play two preseason games against NBL teams in Melbourne this October, marking the first NBA games in Australia. The Pelicans will play Melbourne United and Southeast of Melbourne Phoenix in Melbourne Park on Friday, October 3 and Sunday, October 5, 2025, and the NBL served as the official promoter and organizer of the Melbourne series.

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In addition to the Games, the NBA, the NBL and the Pelicans will carry out NBA community dissemination initiatives and lifestyle that foresee and during the Game Week, including a fan night on Saturday, October 4. The NBA and the NBL also plan to expand their basic basketball development efforts in Asia-Pacific in youth and elite levels in the coming years.

The announcement was made today in Melbourne by the Executive Vice President of New Orleans Pelicans basketball operations, David Griffin, the executive director of the NBL, Larry Kestelman, and the head of the NBA strategy of the NBA Asia Rajah Chaudhry.

The Pelicans currently present twice all-Star of the NBA Zion Williamson, 2022 All-Star Litante Murray and 2015-16 Kia NBA the most improved player CJ McCollum. Tickets for games and surrounding events will go on sale at a later date. Fans can register their interest and obtain access to pre -sale and more here.

The announcement is based on the previous collaborations of the NBA and the NBL that began in 2016. Seven NBL teams have traveled to the United States to play 24 preseason games against NBA teams. The NBA collaborated twice with the NBL to organize basketball without borders, the Global Basketball Development and Community Scope of the NBA and FIBA, in Australia (2016 in Melbourne and 2024 in Perth). To date, nine players of the NBL Stars Next program have been recruited directly from the NBA to the NBA, including Ousmane Dieng (Oklahoma City Thunder), Josh Giddey (Chicago Bulls), Lamelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) and the general selection of 2024 No. 2 Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards). Four record stars were selected in the NBA Draft of 2024: Sar, AJ Johnson (Wizards), Bobi Klintman (Detroit Pistons) and Ariel Hukporti (New York Knicks).

The Games and NBA programming arrive at fans in Australia in ESPN and NBA League Pass, the Liga Liga Premium Live Games Subscription Service available through the NBA application. Fans in Australia can buy the last merchandise of the NBA in Nbastore.com.auThe official NBA store online in Australia. For more information about the NBA, fans in Australia can visit The Sporting News AustraliaDownload the NBA application And follow the NBA in Facebook, Instagram, unknown and YouTube. For more information about the NBL, fans can visit Nbl.com.au.

Executive quotes:

New Orleans Pelicans Governor Gayle Benson:

“We are honored to be part of this historical occasion for basketball in Australia. This collaboration with the NBL and the NBA to take Melbourne offers an exceptional opportunity to commit to our global fans base and share the rich spirit and culture of New Orleans with basketball fans in the region. We hope to compete against Melbourne United and the southeast of Melbourne Phoenix, and collaborating with the NBA and the NBL to inspire and develop the next generation of athletes in the Asia-Pacific region. “

President of the Pelicans of New Orleans Dennis Lauscha:

“This is an exciting moment for our organization and a testimony of the growing global impact of the NBA. Bringing the Pelicans and the NBA to Australia for the first time is a proud milestone, and we are delighted to be part of this unique opportunity to interact with fans in Melbourne. We hope to compete against two outstanding NBL teams and create unforgettable memories for our fans. This is only the beginning of what we expect is a lasting connection between the pelicans and the basketball community in Australia. “

Executive Director of NBL Larry Kestelman:

“The importance of this announcement for basketball in Australia and the NBL cannot be exaggerated. Organizing a NBA team in Australia has been a long -standing dream for everyone in the NBL, and seeing this initiative finally getting to fruition after a 15 -year trip shows that you can achieve a lot when ‘You have a big time’. I want to thank Adam Silver, Mark Tatum, Michael Ma and the NBA team for being open to this incredible vision and for his continuous support to our League. ”

NBA Asia Strategy Chief Rajah Chaudhry:

“These historical games and surrounding events will not only be a basketball celebration, but will also serve as a catalyst for the continuous growth of the game in Australia. We hope to work with the Pelicans and the NBL to make this a memorable week for teams, players and the most important thing for fans. “

About the NBA

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission of inspiring and connecting people everywhere through the power of basketball. Built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, the WNBA, the NBA G League, the 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established an important international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in 60 languages, and goods for sale in more than 200 countries and territories in the seven continents. The NBA lists at the beginning of the 2024-25 season presented 125 records of 43 countries. The digital NBA assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the application of the NBA and the NBA League Pass. The NBA has created one of the world’s largest social networks, with more than 2.5 billion tastes and followers worldwide in all leagues, team platforms and players. NBA Cares, the NBA global social responsibility platform, is associated with recognized community organizations worldwide to address important social problems in the areas of education, inclusion, youth and family development, and health and well -being.

About the NBL

The NBL was founded in 1979 and is considered the best National Basketball League in the world outside the NBA. Currently, composed of 10 teams (nine in Australia and one in New Zealand), the game attendance, the television audience, digital traffic and fans participate after an absolute property transfer to Larry Kestelman in 2015. NBL teams are located in Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Cairns, Hobarte, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and Wollongong.