TORONTO – The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced that the sixth NBA Canada Series presented by Bell will feature two 2018-19 preseason games in Vancouver and Montreal.

2018 NBA All-Stars DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors will take on three-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and the Portland Trail Blazers at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Saturday, September 29.  The Raptors will then face Jeremy Lin, D’Angelo Russell and the Brooklyn Nets at the Bell Centre in Montreal on Wednesday, Oct. 10.

This will mark the fifth preseason game played in Montreal and the fourth preseason game played in Vancouver as part of the NBA Canada Series presented by Bell.  This will mark the first time the Trail Blazers and Nets will participate in the NBA Canada Series presented by Bell, and the 10^th NBA Canada Series game for the Raptors.

Tickets will go on-sale July 14, 2018.  Fans are encouraged to register for exclusive presale ticket access at NBA.com/CanadaSeries.

The NBA Canada Series presented by Bell will once again feature an expanded schedule of interactive fan events, NBA legend appearances, and NBA Cares community outreach programs in Vancouver and Montreal.

The Raptors are coming off their best regular season in franchise history, having finished with a 59-23 record and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

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Executive and Player Quotes

NBA Canada Vice President and Managing Director Dan MacKenzie: “We’re excited to partner with Bell to bring the live NBA experience to our passionate fans in Vancouver and Montreal this fall.  Basketball has never been more popular in Canada, and in addition to the games, we’re looking forward to bringing community service events, NBA personalities and partner activations to the fans in both cities.  Thank you to the Raptors, Trail Blazers and Nets for their participation.”

Bell Canada Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Loring Phinney: “Through our partnership with the NBA, we’ve helped unite communities and inspire positive change through basketball.  We’re looking forward to bringing two thrilling match-ups to basketball fans in Vancouver and Montreal, following a banner year for the sport in Canada.”

Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri: “One of the many great things about being Canada’s team is that we get a chance to bring the game we love to different parts of the country, and to connect with our fans, whose support is so important to us throughout the season.  It’s also an opportunity for us to enjoy these spectacular cities – we’re really looking forward to our time in Vancouver and Montreal.”

Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks: “We’re excited for our preseason game in Montreal as part of the NBA Canada Series.  This will be a good opportunity for our players and staff to experience the rich culture of the city and the exciting atmosphere created by the fans.”

Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard: “Vancouver is cool. I’ve been there a few times and I’ve always really enjoyed it.  We’re looking forward to playing in front of fans from another great Pacific Northwest city.”

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.  The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2017-18 season featured 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.5 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.