History Of Global Outreach (1990's)
From Hoopedia
Key Dates In The History Of NBA Global Outreach
Below is a timeline that covers the history of international participation in the NBA:
Contents |
1990
In Zaragoza, Spain, the NBA conducted its first-ever World Coaching Clinic as Coach Jack Ramsay works with hundreds of European-based coaches in conjunction with the European Final Four tournament.
- October 13, 1990
The 1990 McDonald’s Championship took place in Barcelona, Spain with the New York Knicks, Scavolini Pesaro, POP 84 Split, and F.C. Barcelona competing for the title. In a thrilling overtime opener, the Knicks, led by All-Star Patrick Ewing, beat the Scavolini Pesaro and then defeated POP 84 Split, 117-101, in the final.
- October 27, 1990
“Inside Stuff,” a weekly half-hour highlight show produced by NBA Entertainment, debuted.
- November 2, 1990
The Phoenix Suns defeated the Utah Jazz, 119-96, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Japan. This was the first regular season game played outside North America by any major professional sports team. The teams also met the next afternoon in Tokyo, with the Jazz winning, 102-101.
1991
The NBA World Clinics with [Jack Ramsay]], Hubie Brown and Calvin Murphy conducted a clinic in Paris, France for European coaches in conjunction with the annual European Final Four. The clinics were conducted on global basis as the NBA began its efforts to grow the sport of basketball.
- September 21, 1991
USA Basketball announced the “Dream Team” for the 1992 Olympics: Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson, and John Stockton. USA Basketball named Christian Laettner and Clyde Drexler to the team on May 12, 1992.
- October 19, 1991
The “city of lights” was the site for the 1991 McDonald’s Championship. The Los Angeles Lakers traveled to Paris, France to compete against the host team Limoges CSP, and Joventut Badalona and Slobodan Dalmacija Split of the former Yugoslavia. With Magic Johnson at the helm, the Lakers defeated Joventut Badalona 116-114 to win the title.
- October 20, 1991
The Miami Heat defeated the Washington Bullets 109-98 in an exhibition game at the Crystal Palace Resort in Nassau, Bahamas.
- October 21, 1991
NBA Entertainment announced plans to produce its second weekly television series entitled “NBA Action,” a half-hour highlight show designed to be distributed nationally and internationally.
1992
The NBA opened its first office outside North America in Hong Kong, Asia (NBA Asia).
- April 14, 1992
In Istanbul, Turkey, the league began its third year of a series of coaching clinics, called the NBA World Clinic Tour. The Tour included activities in Israel, Sweden, Belgium, Russia, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and China.
- June, 1992
As part of its commitment to promote the sport of basketball around the world, the NBA opened its first office in Melbourne, Australia (NBA Australia, Ltd.).
- August 8, 1992
The USA Olympic Men’s Basketball Team (nicknamed the “Dream Team”) featuring NBA stars Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, Scottie Pippen, David Robinson and John Stockton, defeated Croatia, 117-85, to win the Gold Medal at the Barcelona Olympics.
- September 10, 1992
NBA held first day of its three-day World Clinic at the Central Universitario Mexico Gymnasium, marking it the first NBA event ever to be held in Mexico.
- October 27, 1992
The Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 104-102, in a preseason game held at the Mexico City Sports Palace before a crowd of 19,527. It was the first NBA preseason game ever played in Mexico.
- November 6, 1992
Two years after becoming the first major professional sports league to play regular season games outside of North America, the NBA returned to Japan for a pair of games to open the 1992-93 season. Shawn Kemp’s 29 points and 20 rebounds led Seattle to a 111-94 win over Houston before a sellout crowd of 15,640 at Yokohama Arena. The SuperSonics completed a “Far East sweep” the next afternoon with an 89-85 win.
1993
- July 1993
The NBA opened its first European office in Geneva, Switzerland (NBA Europe, S.A. Geneva).
- August 1993
Jam Session made its debut in Australia. Emcee’d popular NBA Inside Stuff host Ahmad Rashad, it was staged in Sydney and Melbourne and featured both mascots and players, including Hakeem Olajuwon, Muggsy Bogues and Buck Williams.
- August 1993
The NBA’s Dikembe Mutombo, Alex English, Bob McAdoo, and an assortment of officials and coaches, traveled to Kenya, Zaire and South Africa for basketball youth clinics and to mark South Africa’s return to the international sporting world. One of the highlights of the group’s tour of South Africa was meeting Nelson Mandela, head of the African National Congress who spent 27 years in prison.
- October 18, 1993
NBA Commissioner David J. Stern and the Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation, Boris Stankovic, jointly announced that the Most Valuable Player award for the McDonald’s Championship would be named the Drazen Petrovic Trophy. It honored the late New Jersey Nets star from Crotia that was killed in a car accident in Germany on June 7, 1993.
- October 23, 1993
In the finals of the sixth McDonald’s Open, held at the Olympiahalle in Munich, Germany, the Phoenix Suns defeated Italian League champion Buckler Bologna 112-90, as Charles Barkley led all scorers with 28 points. Barkley was awarded the Drazen Petrovic Trophy as MVP of the tournament, after scoring 52 points in two games.
- October 24, 1993
Before a sellout crowd of 20,808 at the Mexico City Sports Palace, the New York Knicks defeated the Houston Rockets 103-93 in a preseason matchup, led by 20 points each from Patrick Ewing and Charles Smith.
- October 30, 1993
In the first preseason game between two NBA teams ever played in Europe, the Orlando Magic, behind 14 fourth-quarter points from Dennis Scott, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 120-95 before a sold-out crowd of 9,483 at Wembley Arena in the opening of the two-game NBA London Games series.
- October 30, 1993
In the first-ever NBA preseason game in Puerto Rico, the Miami Heat defeated the Denver Nuggets 109-103 before a sell-out crowd at San Juan’s Roberto Clemente Coliseum.
- November 4, 1993
The NBA Board of Governors awarded an expansion franchise to Toronto, Canada, bringing the total number of teams in the NBA to 28. The Toronto Raptors entered the NBA in 1995-96.
1994
The NBA opened its Japan office in Tokyo (NBA Japan, Inc.).
- April 3, 1994
“NBA Weekly,” a half-hour magazine show produced by NBA Entertainment for Japan’s TV Tokyo, debuted.
- April 27, 1994
The NBA Board of Governors awarded an expansion franchise to Vancouver, Canada, increasing the total number of teams in the NBA to 29. The Vancouver Grizzlies entered the NBA in 1995-96.
- June 8, 1994
CCTV-China broadcasted Game #1 of the 1994 NBA Finals live. The network broadcasted all seven games of the NBA Finals, marking the first time every game of the NBA Finals had ever been carried live in China.
- July 8, 1994
For the first time, Jam Session, the league’s premiere interactive attraction, traveled to Japan, attracting millions of visitors. Taking place at the American Festival in Chiba, Japan, former President Jimmy Carter and Mrs. Carter and the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan attended the Grand Opening of this event.
- August 14, 1994
The U S basketball team, “Dream Team II,” defeated Russia, 137-91, to win the gold medal in the World Championship of Basketball in Toronto, Canada. Shaquille O'Neal, who averaged 18.0 points per game, was named the tournament’s MVP.
- October 18, 1994
A sellout crowd of 15,324 at the Palais Omnisports de Bercy in Paris, France watched Golden State defeat Charlotte 132-116, behind Chris Mullin’s game-high 25 points. The game in Paris was one of 11 NBA games played outside the United States during the 1994 preseason.
- October 20, 1994
Golden State defeated Joventut Badalona 122-104 at the Pavello Olmpico Pavello de Badalona in Badalona, Spain
- October 21, 1994
Miami defeated Atlanta 104- 99 at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- October 21, 1994
Charlotte defeated Buckler Bologna 114-107 at the Palazzo Dello Sport Polivante Di Casalecchio in Bologna, Italy
- October 23, 1994
Atlanta defeated Miami 103-99 at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico
On the second day of the two-day “NBA Challenge” in Mexico City, a sellout crowd of 21,268 at the Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace) watched Seattle defeat San Antonio 124-95 in the championship game, led by Shawn Kemp’s 29 points and 10 rebounds. In the third place game, Houston defeated the LA Clippers 111-103.
- November 4-5, 1994
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Portland Trail Blazers opened the season with two games in Yokohama. The two teams split the series with Portland winning the first game 121-100 and losing the second game 112-95.
- November 4-5, 1994
A smaller scale version of Jam Session visited Yokohama during the 1994 NBA Games.
- November 12, 1994
NBA All-Star balloting extended beyond the United States for the first time, as ballots were made available to fans at Foot Locker stores in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia.
- November 15, 1994
Radio station KAZN-AM in Los Angeles aired a broadcast of the Lakers-Clippers game in Mandarin Chinese, making it the first time an NBA game was broadcast in Chinese in the United States. NBA games had previously been broadcast on radio in the U.S. in Spanish and Navajo.
1995
FIBA and the NBA announced that the winner of the NBA Finals will represent the National Basketball Association in the McDonald’s Championship to be played the following October. The McDonald’s Championship, formerly known as the McDonald’s Open, was established as a joint effort by FIBA and the NBA in 1987.
- March 1, 1995
NBA opened its Canada office in Toronto, Ontario (NBA Canada, Inc.).
- April 3, 1995
The NBA opened its Latin America office in Miami, Florida (NBA Latin America, Inc.).
- May 1995
The NBA signed a three-year national television deal with CTV (Canada), featuring 33 games per season.
- June 28, 1995
The NBA Draft is held for the first time outside the United States in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
- October 21, 1995
In front of a sellout crowd of 10,708 at London Arena in London, England, the Houston Rockets defeated Buckler Bologna of Italy, 126-112, in the championship game of the six-team McDonald’s Championship, The Rockets were the first reigning NBA Champions to play in the McDonald’s Championship.
- October 29, 1995
In the 1995, NBA Challenge, the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Washington Bullets 125-107 and the Detroit Pistons defeated the Bullets in the second game 110-99 at the Sports Palace in Mexico City, Mexico.
- November, 1995
The NBA launched a TV show called NBA Dei Di (NBA Zone) with ATV in Hong Kong. It marked the debut of the first NBA co-produced show in Asia.
- November 3, 1995
NBA.com, the NBA’s official site on the World Wide Web, launched for the first time.
- November 7, 1995
NBA All-Star balloting tipped off globally for the first time as Foot Locker, World Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker stores in North America, Europe, Australia and Hong Kong provided ballot boxes for fans to cast their votes. Ballots were produced in French, Spanish, Italian, German, Dutch and English. Fans also continued to vote in NBA arenas and via NBA.com.
- December 26, 1995
The NBA Jam Session presented by Fleer, the league’s interactive basketball attraction, opened at the annual Barcelona Children’s Festival in Spain, the first time that Jam Session had ventured onto European soil.
1996
- January 1996
The NBA opened its office in London, England (NBA Europe S.A. London).
- February 1996
NBA and YTV launched a youth-oriented half-hour basketball magazine show called NBA Dunk Street.
- April 21, 1996
The NBA, boosted by the presence of Canadian expansion franchises in Toronto and Vancouver, set an all-time attendance record for the 11th time in 13 seasons after drawing 20,513,218 fans to 1,189 games. The average attendance of 17,252 per game also set a record, with Charlotte leading the league by averaging 24,042 fans per game.
- April 1996
Sponsored by Adidas, NBA 2ball was launched in 500 schools across the United Kingdom.
- August 1996
The NBA opened its office in Paris, France (NBA Europe, S.A. Paris).
- June 5, 1996
Global television coverage of the 1996 NBA Finals between Chicago and Seattle reached a record 169 countries on six continents in 40 different languages. The Bulls’ 107-90 win in Game 1 at the United Center earned a 16.8 rating and a 31 share on NBC and was viewed in a record 16,111,200 homes.
- August 4, 1996
The United States defeated Yugoslavia, 95-69, to capture the Gold Medal at the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. The team, comprised of Charles Barkley, Anfernee Hardaway, Grant Hill, Karl Malone, Reggie Miller, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton, Scottie Pippen, Mitch Richmond, David Robinson and John Stockton, was the second-ever Olympic team comprised solely of NBA players.
- September 3, 1996
Sponsored by McDonald’s, NBA 2ball was launched for the first time in Mexico resulting in over one million participants.
- October 18, 1996
The Indiana Pacers won a close 98-95 victory against the Seattle SuperSonics at the NBA Europe Tour at the Deutschlandhalle in Berlin, Germany.
- October 20, 1996
Seattle defeated Indiana 82-72 at the Palacio de Deportes in Sevilla, Spain.
- October 26-27, 1996
On the second day of the two-day “NBA Challenge” in Mexico City, a sellout crowd at the Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace) watched the Dallas Mavericks defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 88-86 in the championship game. In the third place game, the Utah Jazz defeated the Phoenix Suns 111-105.
- November 7-9, 1996
The 1996 Japan Games moved to the larger Tokyo Dome, where the two games between the New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic drew over 75,000 fans. The Orlando Magic swept the series against the New Jersey Nets 108-95 and 86-82. The event also marked the country’s first full-scale Jam Session -- the league’s premiere interactive attraction. Staged at Prism Hall in the Tokyo Dome with more than 10,000 in attendance.
- December 12, 1996
NBA games are “cybercast” worldwide over the Internet via NBA.com and its League Audio Pass for the first time in league history.
“NBA Action,” a half hour show of NBA highlights and features, is launched on CTV affiliate stations nationally across Canada.
1997
- May 14, 1997
The NBA and Turner Sports Network (TSN) signed a new three-year agreement to air NBA games. The deal included: 26 regular season games, including four TSN-produced Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies games; playoff games; and special programming such as the Naismith Cup and the NBA Draft.
- June 1997
The NBA moved its Geneva office to Paris, making Paris the “head office” of Europe (NBA Europe, S.A. Paris).
- June 21, 1997
The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) opened to a worldwide audience, which exceeded even the most enthusiastic expectations. The WNBA had 15 of the top international women’s pro basketball players on team rosters, including all of the top international stars from the 1996 Olympic Games including Michele Timms of Australia, Janeth Arcain of Brazil, Haixia Zheng of China and Elena Baranova of Russia.
- June 5, 1997
The NBA Jam Van visits Canada for the first time as part of the country’s Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa, Ontario.
- June 7, 1997
NBA Hoop-It-Up 3-on-3 basketball tour launches in Vancouver. Other stops in Canada were Winnipeg, Edmonton, London, Toronto and Montreal.
Utah Jazz Forward Karl Malone demonstrated his basketball skills and held a clinic for 200 teenagers in Taiwan.
- August 2-12, 1997
Forward Grant Hill, formerly with the Detroit Pistons at that time, headed to Asia for the first time to promote basketball in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines.
- August 11-September 17, 1997
L.A. Lakers star Center Shaquille O'Neal traveled to several countries including Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines, Argentina and Chile on the “Shaq Rap ‘N’ Jam Tour” to promote his music and basketball.
Forward Chris Webber, formerly with the Washington Bullets, traveled to Seoul to promote basketball to the Korea wheelchair basketball team and kids in Korea.
Center David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs and forward Joe Smith of the Golden State Warriors held basketball clinics with thousands of kids in Taipei, Taiwan; Hong Kong and Beijing, China and officiated at the opening ceremony of NBA Taiwan office.
- August 1997
The NBA opened its third major office in Europe in Barcelona, Spain (NBA Europe, S.A. Barcelona).
- August 27, 1997
The NBA opened its office in Taipei, Taiwan. David Robinson and Joe Smith were invited to officiate at the opening ceremony in Taipei (NBA Taiwan, Ltd).
- September 1997
Dikembe Mutombo of the Atlanta Hawks and Mwadi Mabika of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks were the headliners on a special tour to South Africa where the NBA conducted clinics in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg.
- October 10-15, 1997
On their tour of Europe 11 players from the WNBA visited Bonn, Germany; Paris, France and Como, Italy. In each of the three cities, the players conducted local basketball tournaments and spoke at local schools.
- October 16-18, 1997
In 1997, the McDonald’s Championship returned to Paris with the NBA Champions Chicago Bulls taking part. Traveling for the first time outside North America, the Bulls competed against five of the best teams in international competition; Olympiakos Piraeus, Atenas de Cordoba, PSG Racing, F.C. Barcelona and Benetton Treviso. Led by Michael Jordan, the Bulls defeated PSG Racing 89-82 in the semifinals and European champions Olympiakos Piraeus in the final 104-78. During the three-day competition, Jordan scored 55 points in two games and won MVP honors.
- October 19, 1997
NBA 2ball was launched in Canada as part of celebrations surrounding the 1997 Naismith Cup in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- October 30, 1997
TSN aired the first episode of “NBA In the Paint”, a new TSN-produced half-hour basketball show.
- November 8, 1997
NBA 3-on-3 Mexico 1997 Tour was launched in Monterrey, Mexico. The tour visited Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
- December 6, 1997
The Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 108-106 in the first-ever NBA regular season game in Mexico. The Mexico joined Japan as the only two countries outside of the United States and Canada to host an NBA regular season game.
1998
RDS, Canada’s French-language all-sports cable television station, signs a three-year deal with the NBA to air regular season, playoff and Finals games.
- May 24, 1998
The league’s grassroots program NBA 2Ball made its debut in Asia with 96 participants from eight high schools in Taipei, Taiwan. They competed in three categories: Boy’s Division, Girl’s Division and Mixed Division, with each division featuring 24 teams.
- June, 1998
The Canadian Tire NBA Hoop-It-Up 3-on-3 basketball tournament tipped off its Canadian tour, during which it visited Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, London, Toronto, and Montreal.
As part of the NBA’s continued global outreach to grow the game of basketball, Houston Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon visited Argentina and Brazil to work with young people to improve their basketball skills. Hakeem toured Buenos Aires, Argentina; Sao Paulo, Brazil and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- August 1, 1998
Utah Jazz forward, Karl Malone visited Taiwan again and appeared at the 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
Philadelphia 76ers guard, Allen Iverson toured Asia and held a series of workshops in Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong to promote the sport of basketball.
L.A. Lakers Guard, Kobe Bryant traveled to the Philippines, Australia, Korea and Japan to display his basketball skills to fans at the streetball challenge.
A team of NBA legends composed of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Moses Malone, Alex English and Kiki Vandeweghe, led by coach Oscar Robertson, played four exhibition games against the Chinese National team in three Chinese cities including Shanghai, Hefei and Beijing.
Guard Travis Best from the Indiana Pacers, and Guard Terrell Brandon with the Milwaukee Bucks at that time, visited Malaysia and Taiwan to promote the sport of basketball.
- September 26, 1998
The 1998 WNBA Brazil Tour, featuring 12 players from 10 teams, traveled to Sao Paulo and Rio De Janeiro to compete against top teams in Brazil.
- November 15, 1998
More than 5,000 NBA fans were on hand as the NBA 3x3 Mexico Tour wrapped up its second successful year of grassroots basketball in Mexico City. This year’s tour visited four cities in Mexico: Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mexico City and the northern basketball hotbed of Chihuahua.
1999
- May 1999
“NBA Shi Kong” (NBA Space & Time), a Chinese version of “Hoop” magazine, debuted in China. It marked NBA’s first publishing licensing agreement in Asia.
- May 1999
Nestle Ice Cream NBA Hoop-It-Up 3-on-3 basketball tournament traveled to six cities across Canada, starting with Winnipeg on May 29-30, 1999. Other cities were Vancouver, Edmonton, London, Montreal and Toronto.
Minnesota Timberwolves star forward Kevin Garnett made a whirlwind tour of Japan June 26-30 to promote the 1999 NBA Japan Games.
- June 30, 1999
Nine internationally-born players were chosen in the 1999 NBA Draft. Three of the nine players were selected in the first round. The draftees included Wang Zhizhi, who became the second international player of Chinese descent to be drafted to the NBA (Sung Tao, who was the first Chinese player drafted, was selected by the Atlanta Hawks on the 3rd Round at 67th pick in 1987).
NBA Jam Session, the NBA’s premier interactive basketball games and skills fan event, made its first-ever visit to Taiwan for three days of non-stop hoops action and entertainment, representing the biggest NBA event ever held in Taiwan to date. Vancouver Grizzlies star forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim, together with Boston Celtics first-year sensation, Paul Pierce, added to the festivities.
Former Houston Rockets star Clyde Drexler toured Australia and New Zealand Aug. 15-21 to promote the NBA and the sport of basketball. He participated in a variety of basketball-related activities, which received astounding media coverage throughout both countries.
- September 4-5, 1999
Forward Antoine Walker of the Boston Celtics, Forward Tracy McGrady then of the Toronto Raptors, and Forward Tim Thomas of the Philadelphia 76ers, traveled to Taiwan to promote hoops at the inaugural Asian Streetball Challenge.
- September 14-18, 1999
To help promote the 1999 McDonald’s Championship, San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan made special appearances throughout Milan September 14-18.
- September 1999
Terrell Brandon of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Jason Williams of the Sacramento Kings participated in events and activities throughout Japan to promote the 1999 NBA Japan Games.
- October 11, 1999
The Miami Heat, led by superstars Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, made their first trip overseas for an NBA preseason game when they traveled to Tel Aviv, Israel, to face perennial Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv at Yad Eliyahu Arena. Miami defeated Maccabi 126-91.
- October 1999
For the first time since the tournament’s inception, NBA 2ball took place in Italy. To coincide with the McDonald’s Championship in Milan, the grassroots program NBA 2ball took place in 350 schools in the Lombardia Region.
- October 14-16, 1999
The 1999 McDonald’s Championship took place at the Fila Forum in Milan, Italy, on October 14-16. The bi-annual basketball event was a three-day competition featuring the NBA Champions and five international club champions. The San Antonio Spurs were crowned the tournament champion after defeating Vasco De Gama 103-68 in the title game.
- October 14-16, 1999
For the 1999 McDonald’s Championships October 14-16, 1999, several Spurs players, as well as the WNBA's Cynthia Cooper and Tina Thompson, teammates from the three-time WNBA Champion Houston Rockets, made special appearances throughout Milan. Mario Elie and Thompson met with fans at a local Champion store one afternoon, several Spurs players signed autographs for hundreds of young fans at McDonald's Galleria next to the Duomo, and Tim Duncan and David Robinson spoke to hundreds of journalists.
- October 18, 1999
The Toronto Raptors defeated the Vancouver Grizzlies 110-84 in the Naismith Cup, Canada's annual preseason game, on October 18 at the in Edmonton, Alberta.
- October 24, 1999
The National Basketball Association returned to Mexico when the New Jersey Nets and the Golden State Warriors tipped off a preseason game on October 24 at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes. NBA Mexico ’99 marked the seventh year that NBA teams have competed in Mexico this decade. Golden State defeated New Jersey 117-91.
- November 2, 1999
Opening-night rosters included 37 players from 25 countries.
- November 6-7, 1999
The NBA has played regular-season games in Japan since 1990. More than 60,000 fans attended the 1999 NBA Japan Games, featuring the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings. Each team tipped off the season with a victory when the Sacramento Kings won the first game 100-95 on November 6 and the Minnesota Timberwolves came back with a vengeance, winning the second game 114-101 on November 7. The event marked the fifth time the league has staged regular season games in Japan.
- December 8, 1999
The NBA signed new international television agreements with NTK in Kazakhstan, Melita Sports Channel in Malta, Anem TV Network in Serbia, and with RTVM in Montenegro. With these new deals, the NBA had broadcast relationships with 128 separate television networks airing games and other NBA programming in 205 countries in 42 different languages worldwide throughout the 1999-2000 NBA season.
