NBA Looks To Raptors-Magic Game In London To Increase Overseas Interest

The Magic tomorrow will play a regular-season game in London against the Raptors, but the expedition "isn't solely about basketball," as it is "also intended to help the NBA and the Magic grow as businesses and is designed to make the sport more popular across the continent, not just in the United Kingdom," according to Josh Robbins of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. A traveling party of almost 200 people is scheduled to cross the Atlantic Ocean to "travel to this bustling corner of Europe." NBA Senior VP & Managing Dir for Europe Benjamin Morel said that the 18,689-seat O2 Arena sold out "within an hour" of going on sale. The matchup "will be televised live in the U.K. on the BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Showcase networks and will be shown live in 31 cinemas across the U.K". The game also "will air across Europe." The game "will count as a Magic home game," and the team "is bringing its game-night operations staff, including its statistics crew, its own public-address announcer and the Magic Dancers" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/12).