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The Dallas Mavericks are bound for Mexico City. Friday, the NBA announced that four teams would participate in the NBA Mexico City Games 2019, taking place at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico for two regular season games. The three teams joining the Mavericks are the Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, and San Antonio Spurs.
Dallas will play Detroit on December 12 while the Spurs will face the Suns on December 14. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN Deportes. This marks the 29th and 30th games held in Mexico since 1992. Mexico has hosted more NBA games than any other nation outside of the United States and Canada.
The Mavericks previously played in Mexico City in December 1997, when they took on the Houston Rockets. Dallas again played in the Mexican capital in January 2017 for a regular season game against the Suns.
“NBA games in Mexico City are a core part of our efforts to reach and engage basketball fans throughout Mexico and Latin America,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “With a record four NBA teams visiting Mexico City next season, we expect an unprecedented level of interest and excitement around these games and our surrounding community events.”
For the Mavericks, this is the second consecutive year that the team has traveled abroad. Last season, Dallas flew to China to participate in the NBA China Games 2018. There, they played the Philadelphia 76ers in two preseason games in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
“We are thrilled to be one of the teams that plays internationally again this season,” Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle said. “It is an honor to come back to Mexico City and showcase our game to these great fans!”
This is the fourth consecutive year that the NBA has held two regular season games in Mexico City. The only real hiccup for the league in Mexico came in 2013 when it postponed a game between the Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves due to smoky conditions inside the arena.