London’s O2 Arena to host NBA regular season matches

The NBA will stage meaningful games in Europe for the first time, at London’s O2 Arena in March.

The Toronto Raptors will face the New Jersey Nets at the O2 on 4 and 5 March.

NBA commissioner David Stern hinted at the move last October when GB star Luol Deng’s Chicago Bulls took on Utah at the arena, a 2012 Olympic venue.

“The staging of regular-season games in Europe is a milestone for the NBA,” said league commissioner David Stern.

“By bringing these two young and exciting teams to London, we are fulfilling our commitment to schedule a regular-season game in the UK prior to the 2012 Olympics.

“It’s a natural progression given the overwhelming response to the many friendlies we have played to sold-out crowds over the years.”

The O2 has hosted NBA pre-season exhibition games in October for the past three years, selling out each game.

The October series has become a feature of the sporting calendar in London, with sport stars like Lewis Hamilton, Didier Drogba, David Haye and Phillips Idowu among the celebrities who have sat courtside at NBA’s O2 games in recent years.

The O2 is set to host the Olympic Games basketball tournament in 2012 from the quarter-final stage onwards.

This October will see Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers, the current NBA champions, taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves in the latest game in the Europe Live series.

The Nets are no strangers to the O2 – they played against the Miami Heat in the Europe Live game in 2008.

NBA regular season games have previously been played in Mexico and Japan, but the league has always resisted the clamour to bring a competitive game to Europe.

However, America’s National Football League has staged an annual regular season game in London for each of the last three seasons and the National Hockey League has also held games in London in the past.