The NBA on Wednesday announced its regular-season European schedule for the 2025-26 season and unveiled plans to play regular-season season games in Paris, Berlin and Manchester in 2027 and 2028.
The Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic will play two games in Europe this season – in Berlin on Jan. 15, and in London on Jan. 18.
‘Announcing the next three season’s regular-season games in Europe reflects the incredible momentum and appetite for NBA basketball in France, Germany, the UK and across the region,’ NBA managing director of Europe and Middle East George Aivazoglou said in a news release. ‘We look forward to welcoming the Grizzlies and the Magic to Berlin and London and to engaging fans, players and the local communities through the games and the surrounding events.’
The Magic’s Franz and Mo Wagner are from Germany, and the Berlin game will the NBA’s first regular-season game in the country.
‘To have the Orlando Magic and the NBA play a regular-season game in our hometown of Berlin means everything to us,’ the Wagner brothers said in a joint statement. ‘Growing up here, we dreamed of moments like this. It’s a huge honor to represent Berlin and Germany and show how much the city and country love basketball. We hope we can inspire kids the way we were inspired watching games from afar.’
The NBA’s push into the European market has been steady and unsurprising. As the league considers expansion of its North American-based league, it is also exploring the creation a new league based in Europe – with the idea of adding already existing franchises and creating franchises in underserved markets.
‘Just as the same as in American cities, we think there’s an opportunity to serve fans in Europe,’ NBA commissioner Adam Silver said at the NBA Finals. ‘No knock on European basketball, because most of those international MVPs I just talked about are coming from Europe. There’s really high-level basketball being played there. But we think there is an opportunity to better serve fans there. I view that as a form of expansion as well, and that’s something we’re also thinking hard about.’