JOHANNESBURG AND LONDON – The 2022-23 NBA regular season features 45 games that will air in primetime in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) as part of “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23,” marking the 10^th consecutive regular season that the league has scheduled weekend games that air in primetime in EMEA.

The 45 games start as early as 12 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CET and feature the league’s biggest stars, including two-time Kia NBA Most Valuable Player and 2021 NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria), four-time NBA champion and 2022 Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), 2021-22 Kia All-NBA First Team member Luka Doncić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia), five-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon), four-time NBA champion and Finals MVP LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), and reigning back-to-back Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia).

“Scheduling weekly games in primetime for fans in Europe, the Middle East and Africa is a critical component of our efforts to make the excitement of NBA basketball more accessible to casual and hardcore fans,” said NBA Senior Vice President, Head of International Content Partnerships Matt Brabants.  “Over the last 10 years we’ve seen a tremendous response to this initiative from fans across these regions, and with the quantity and quality of talent from Europe and Africa in the NBA at an all-time high and weekly appointment viewing in primetime, there has never been a better time to be an NBA fan in EMEA.”

“The growing impact of African players in the NBA is evident every time you turn on a game,” said NBA Africa Senior Director, Global Media Partnerships Kornelia Semmelink.  “As our footprint on the continent continues to grow, the NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23 initiative is one of many ways we’re providing localized content to our passionate fans in Africa at a time that is convenient for them on the devices and platforms they use most.”

In addition to “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23,” games that will air in primetime in EMEA this season include The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 (Oct. 6 and 8 during the preseason), one game on the day after Thanksgiving in the U.S. (Nov. 25), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Jan. 16), The NBA Paris Game 2023 (Jan. 19) and the final day of the regular season (April 9).  In total, NBA games and programming reach fans in more than 100 countries and territories across EMEA through the league’s broadcast partners in those regions and NBA League Pass, which features a season-long subscription package.

During the 2021-22 season (regular season and Playoffs), a record 56 games aired in primetime in EMEA.  Opening-night rosters for the 2021-22 NBA season featured 65 players from Europe and the Middle East, 14 players from Africa and more than 30 players with at least one parent from Africa.

Below are highlights of the “NBA Saturdays and NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23” schedule.  The complete schedule is available here.

• Sunday, Oct. 30: 2020 NBA All-Star Brandon Ingram, 2021 NBA All-Star Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans visit seven-time NBA All-Star Paul George, two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers at 3 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CET.

• Sunday, Nov. 27: Curry, four-time NBA All-Star Draymond Green, five-time NBA All-Star Klay Thompson and the defending NBA champion Warriors visit three-time NBA All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, three-time NBA All-Star and Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert (France), 2020-21 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team member Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves at 3:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. CET.

• Sunday, Dec. 25: 2020 NBA champion and eight-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis, James and the Lakers visit Doncić and the Mavericks at 2:30 p.m. ET / 8:30 p.m. CET on Christmas Day, followed by an NBA Sundays presented by NBA 2K23 rematch in Dallas on Feb. 26 at 3:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. CET.

• Saturday, Jan. 14: Six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, 2020 NBA All-Star Bam Adebayo, 2021-22 Kia NBA Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat host Antetokounmpo, three-time NBA All-Star Khris Middleton, four-time Kia NBA All-Defensive Team member Jrue Holiday and the Bucks at 1 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CET.

• Saturday, Jan. 28: Jokić and the Nuggets visit Embiid, 2017-18 Kia NBA MVP and 10-time NBA All-Star James Harden and the 76ers at 3 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CET as part of NBA Rivals Week.  Embiid and Jokić were the top two 2021-22 Kia NBA MVP finalists, with Jokić winning the award for the second consecutive season.

• Sunday, Feb. 12: Three-time NBA All-Star Jayson Tatum, 2021 NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown, 2021-22 Kia NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart and the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics host 2022 NBA All-Star Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies at 2 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CET.

• Sunday, March 5: Curry, Green, Thompson and the Warriors visit Davis, James and the Lakers at 3:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. CET.

• Sunday, April 9: Three-time NBA All-Star Devin Booker, 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul and the Phoenix Suns host George, Leonard and the Clippers at 3:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. CET.

The NBA yesterday released the complete game schedule for the 2022-23 regular season, which will tip off on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, and conclude on Sunday, April 9, 2023.  The complete schedule and team-by-team schedules are available at NBA.com here.  

About the NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a global sports and media organization with the mission to inspire and connect people everywhere through the power of basketball.  Built around five professional sports leagues:  the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League, the NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming available in 214 countries and territories in more than 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 200 countries and territories on all seven continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2021-22 season featured a record 121 international players from 40 countries.  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 2.1 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.

About NBA Africa
NBA Africa is a standalone entity formed in May 2021 that conducts the NBA’s business in Africa, including the Basketball Africa League (BAL).  The NBA has a long history in Africa and opened its African headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2010 before opening additional offices in Dakar, Senegal, and Lagos, Nigeria.  The league’s efforts on the continent have focused on increasing access to basketball and the NBA through youth and elite development, social responsibility, media distribution, corporate partnerships, NBA Africa Games, the BAL, and more.

NBA games and programming are available in all 54 African countries, and the NBA has hosted three sold-out exhibition games on the continent since 2015.  The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and NBA Africa, is a professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa that recently completed its second season.  Fans can follow @NBA_Africa and @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.