NBA International Historic Timeline, 1946-2000
From Hoopedia
November 1, 1946 Henry Biasatti of Italy, the first international player in the league, played in the very first game of the Basketball Association of America, the NBA’s predecessor. Biasatti played for the Toronto Huskies, who lost to the New York Knicks 68-66.
January 16, 1963 Tom Meschery, a son of Russian immigrants, who was born in Manchuria, China, became the first international player to play in an NBA All-Star Game in 1963. The East All-Stars defeated the West 115-108.
August, 1979 The Washington Wizards (Bullets) led by Coach Dick Motta visited China in 1979 and played two exhibition games against the Chinese National basketball team and the Bayi Rockets team.
September 24, 1985 As part of the cultural and educational agreements between China and the United States, the Chinese national basketball team arrived in New York to begin a month of training and practice against NBA teams, including New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Chicago, Washington and Cleveland. Known as the NBA-China Friendship Tour, the Chinese team trained with then-Boston Celtics assistant coach Ed Badger while getting special instruction from NBA Legends Red Auerbach and Pete Newell.
November 6, 1985 Georgi Glouchkov, a 6-8 center from the Bulgarian National Team, debuted for the Phoenix Suns, becoming the first player from an Eastern European country ever to play in the NBA.
October 23, 1987 The Milwaukee Bucks defeated Tracer Milan of Italy, 123-111, in the opening game of the first McDonald’s Open, held at the MECCA. The Bucks defeated the Soviet National Team, 127-100, in the championship game of the tournament sponsored by the NBA and FIBA.
July 25, 1988 The Atlanta Hawks became the first NBA team to play in the Soviet Union when they defeated the Soviet Georgia All-Stars, 85-84, in an exhibition game as part of their July 20-31 tour.
October 24, 1988 In the first McDonald's Championship in Europe, the Boston Celtics defeated Real Madrid 111-96 at the Palacio de Deportes in Madrid Spain.
January 29, 1989 As a result of a joint venture between the NBA and the U.S.S.R. State Committee for Television and Radio (“Gosteleradio”), a New York-Boston game from January 3 aired on Soviet National Television on Sunday at 12:55 P.M. (Moscow time). The game marked the first NBA game ever aired on Soviet National Television.
April 7, 1989 FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, voted to drop restrictions on professional basketball players competing in international events such as the Olympics.
April 22, 1989 The NBA and British Satellite Broadcasting reached an agreement to broadcast 40 games per season in the United Kingdom starting with the 1989-90 season. The games represent the first-ever weekly series of live NBA games to be broadcast overseas.
June 27, 1989 For the first time ever, the NBA Draft broadcast live in prime time by TBS from the Felt Forum in New York. The NBA Draft previously had only been televised during the day. The Sacramento Kings selected Louisville center Pervis Ellison first overall.
October 12, 1989 The NBA joined ABA/USA, the United States’ representative in FIBA. ABA/USA changed its name to USA Basketball.
October 22, 1989 In its third year, the McDonald’s Championship moved to Rome, Italy. This time, the Denver Nuggets represented the NBA against the Spanish Champion F.C. Barcelona, the European Champion Jugoplastika Split, and Philips Milan. The Nuggets defeated Barcelona in the tournament opener and went on to defeat Jugoplastika Split 135-129 to capture the title.
November 3, 1989 Sarunas Marciulionis and Alexander Volkov became the first players from the then-Soviet Union to participate in regular season NBA games. Marciulionis scored 19 points as Golden State lost to Phoenix 136-106, and Volkov was held scoreless as Atlanta was defeated by Indiana 126-103.
November 18, 1989 For the first time in NBA history, two players from the Soviet Union met on the court--Atlanta’s Alexander Volkov and Golden State’s Sarunas Marciulionis were teammates on the Soviet team that won the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics in South Korea. On this night, Volkov came out on top, as the Hawks downed the Warriors 112-96.
April 17-19, 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.
April 16-18, 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 Slobodna 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.
March 10, 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.).
July 21, 1992 1992 USA Senior National Team - Pre-Olympics (1-0) July 21, 1992 USA 111, France 71 Monte Carlo, Monaco
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.
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 FIBA, 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.
January 7, 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.
July 26, 31, 1994 1994 USA Senior National Team - Pre-World Championship (2-0) July 31, 1994 USA 113, USA GWG 75 Oakland, California July 26, 1994 USA 114, Germany 81 Charlotte, N.C.
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
October 29, 1994 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.
February 10, 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.
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.
1996 USA Senior National Team - Pre-Olympics (5-0)
July 14, 1996 USA 128, Greece 62 Indianapolis, Indiana
July 12, 1996 USA 118, Australia 77 Salt Lake City, Utah
July 10, 1996 USA 119, China 58 Phoenix, Arizona
July 7, 1996 USA 109, Brazil 68 Cleveland, Ohio
July 6, 1996 USA 96, USA Select 90 Detroit, Michigan
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.
February 8, 1997 “NBA Action,” a half hour show of NBA highlights and features, is launched on CTV affiliate stations nationally across Canada.
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.
August 2-4, 1997 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.
August 13-15, 1997 Forward Chris Webber, formerly with the Washington Bullets, traveled to Seoul to promote basketball to the Korea wheelchair basketball team and kids in Korea.
August 25-31, 1997 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.
January 21, 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.
June 22-26, 1998 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.
July 18-26, 1998 1998 USA Senior National Team - Pre-World Championship (3-0) July 26, 1998 USA 80, Italy 75 Rome, Italy July 19, 1998 USA 95, Spain 78 Monte Carlo, Monaco July 18, 1998 USA 93, France 63 Monte Carlo, Monaco
August 1, 1998 Utah Jazz forward, Karl Malone visited Taiwan again and appeared at the 3-on-3 basketball tournament.
August 6-17, 1998 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.
August 13-26, 1998 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.
August 16-23, 1998 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.
July 29-August 5, 1998 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.
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.
June 26-30, 1999 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).
July 11, 1999 1999 USA Senior National Team - Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament (1-0) July 11, 1999 USA 97, Canada 69 Orlando, Florida
August 6-8, 1999 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.
August 15-21, 1999 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.
January 11, 2000 NBA stars Ray Allen (Milwaukee Bucks), Grant Hill (Detroit Pistons) and Alonzo Mourning (Miami Heat) were selected as the final three members of the 2000 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team, which participated in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. The 12-member USA Men's Senior National Team roster consisted of the three players and nine NBA players who were announced on March 10, 1999, and who played on the gold medal winning 1999 USA Basketball Pre-Olympic Tournament of the Americas Team. Named previously to the USA Men's Senior National Team were NBA standouts: Vin Baker (Seattle SuperSonics); Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs); Kevin Garnett (Minnesota Timberwolves); Tom Gugliotta (Phoenix Suns); Tim Hardaway (Miami Heat); Allan Houston (New York Knicks); Jason Kidd (Phoenix Suns); Gary Payton (Seattle SuperSonics) and Steve Smith (Portland Trail Blazers).
January 27, 2000 The NBA signed a licensing agreement with Far EasTone, Taiwan’s leading pre-paid telephone card provider, and launched the Far EasTone IF Card NBA Re-charge Card. It marked not only the first time NBA has worked with a telecommunications provider in Asia, but is also the first time worldwide the NBA has licensed a GSM pre-paid card service.
March 1, 2000 NBA.com TV Daily, a new global video service that provides updates and highlights from the best NBA games of the previous night direct from the NBA, became available. The satellite service provides viewers with NBA action on a daily basis, including game highlights, scores, post-game coverage, NBA updates and NBA plays of the day. Among the networks signed on to NBA.com TV Daily are Channel 5 (Israel), MTV (Lebanon), NHK (Japan), TBS (Japan), Infosport (France), Skai (Greece), Canal + (Spain), and TV3 (Spain).
March 26, 2000 NBA star Vince Carter (Toronto Raptors) was added to the 2000 USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team, which would participate in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Carter’s addition to the USA team came after previously named team member Tom Gugliotta suffered a serious knee injury on March 10 and underwent reconstructive knee surgery on March 17. Carter’s selection was made by the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team Committee.
March 30, 2000 NBA Commissioner, David Stern, addressed the Chinese media via video conference at the NBA Media Spring Gathering in Beijing, China.
April 15, 2000 The National Basketball Association signed a multi-year deal with Pro Star Sports Philippines Inc. to produce, distribute and market NBA licensed apparel and accessories in the Philippines. The NBA Shop, the first of its kind in the Philippines, debuted with a Showtime fashion show at the Glorietta Activity Center in the Philippines.
April 25, 2000 NBA 2ball debuted in the Philippines. The basketball skills game developed to encourage participation from basketball fans of all ages and skill levels was presented by McDonald’s. The 2ball program here was open to the public and consisted of five weeks of exciting basketball skills competition conducted in five different SM Malls, starting on April 29 and ending on May 28.
May 4, 2000 The Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Washington Wizards at NBA México 2000. Tickets for the NBA hosted Mexico 2000 game went on sale May 12 at the Palacio box office and at all Ticketmaster locations throughout Mexico.
May 11, 2000 Six new multi-lingual public service announcements, featuring some of the NBA’s top international players, debuted around the world in May 2000. Each of the players featured in the 30-second PSAs chose to address problematic issues appropriate for their native countries. The PSAs featured Felipe Lopez (Vancouver Grizzlies), Sean Marks (Toronto Raptors), Predrag Stojakovic (Sacramento Kings), Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets), and Gheorge Muresan (New Jersey Nets).
May 20, 2000 The second season of the T-D1 NBA Basketball Challenge, presented by the NBA and T-Mobil, began a nine-city tour in Bonn, Germany on May 20-21, 2000. Dallas Mavericks forward, German-born, Dirk Nowitzki was the official spokesperson for the tour and made an appearance at the Hamburg event, June 24-25.
May 27, 2000 NBA Hoop-It-Up 2000 Slam Dunks into Calgary, Canada. The 3-on-3 Basketball event made its inaugural visit May 27-28. Hoops players strut their stuff in the streets of Calgary on May 27 and.
June 8-July 7, 2000 A team representing the NBDL was one of six teams competing in the 2000 Asian Basketball Association League. The team called the NBA Ambassadors led by Hall of Famer Nate “Tiny” Archibald, was one of two squads representing Hong Kong that competed in a six-week 20-game regular season against teams from China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan from June 8 to July 7.
June 28, 2000 A record fourteen internationally born players were chosen in the NBA Draft 2000, held at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A record seven of the 14 players were selected in the first round.
July 13, 2000 Mike Jones, Rasul Salahuddin, and Wayman Strickland led the NBA Ambassadors to a 103-68 victory over China’s CBA All-Stars in the decisive third game of the Asian Basketball Association League championship series. The NBA Ambassadors, coached by Hall of Famer Nate “Tiny” Archibald, represented the NBA’s new developmental league (the National Basketball Developmental League) in the six-team ABAL.
July 17, 2000 Vancouver Grizzlies forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim was named to the 2000 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team, which participated in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Abdur-Rahim's addition to the USA team came after previously named team member Grant Hill withdrew from the team because of a broken ankle suffered April 25 during the NBA Playoffs. Abdur-Rahim's selection was made by the USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team Committee.
July 28-August 8, 2000 A two-week NBA 2ball tournament was launched in Taiwan on July 28. NBA 2ball, presented by McDonald’s in Taiwan, was open to the public and the two-week competition was conducted in Taichung and Taipei July 28-August 8. In addition to NBA 2ball, NBA Jam Session, the NBA’s premier interactive fan event, showcased some of its most popular attractions. It represented the largest NBA event ever held in Taiwan to date.
August 1, 2000 Sacramento Kings Guard, Jason Williams traveled to Taiwan to participate in the Hip Hoop Club/MTV Party which consisted of a 2-on-2 basketball contest with fans and a dribbling demonstration.
August 7-14, 2000 Orlando Magic star Forward, Grant Hill returned to Asia to tour Taiwan, Philippines and Hong Kong as part of a grassroots effort to promote the sport of basketball.
August 9, 2000 The NBA Jam Session made its first visit to the city of Lisbon, Portugal. San Antonio Spurs guard Mario Elie was the official spokesperson for the NBA Jam Session August 9-13. The NBA Jam Session is a fun-filled event that captures the sights and sounds of the NBA through interactive basketball activities.
August 11-17, 2000 The NBA Legends Tour, featuring a star-studded team of former NBA players including Clyde Drexler, Buck Williams and Rolando Blackman led by Head Coach Rick Barry returned to China in August with a series of games against the Sydney Olympic bound Chinese Men’s National Basketball team. Three international exhibition games were staged in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai against the Chinese Men’s National Basketball team which served as final preparation for China National team to get a medal in Sydney. The first game was played in Beijing on Aug 11 and the NBA Legends took a 79-73 win over the China National Team. The second game was played in Guangzhou on Aug 14 and Eddie Johnson scored 21 points to lead the NBA Legends to a 90-77 victory. The NBA Legends lost to China 79-60 in the finale of the three-game series in Shanghai on Aug 17.
August 23-27, 2000 Orlando Magic forward Tracy McGrady and Milwaukee Bucks forward Tim Thomas visited Manila, Philippines and met streetball champions from different parts of Asia at the Asian Streetball Challenge.
August 30-September 9, 2000 2000 USA Senior National Team - Pre-Olympics (5-0) Aug. 31, 2000 USA 99, Canada 70 Honolulu, Hawaii Sept. 2, 2000 USA 111, USA Select 70 Honolulu, Hawaii Sept. 5, 2000 USA 95, Spain 66 Saitama, Japan Sept. 6, 2000 USA 105, Japan 49 Saitama, Japan Sept. 9, 2000 USA 89, Australia 64 Melbourne, Australia
August 31-September 4, 2000 Boston Celtics Forward Paul Pierce flew to the Philippines to play hoops with fans at the Asian 3-on-3 Finals.
September 11, 2000 NBA head coaches Rudy Tomjanovich (Houston Rockets) and Larry Brown (Philadelphia 76ers) joined their fellow Team USA coaches Gene Keady and Tubby Smith in Australia's first NBA Coaches Clinic on September 11 at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. Over 300 Australian coaches attended the two-hour session.
October 1, 2000. The United States Men’s Olympic team beat France 85-75, to capture the Gold Medal at the Sydney Olympics. The team, comprised of Shareem Abdur-Kahim, Ray Allen, Vin Baker, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Tim Hardaway, Allan Houston, Jason Kidd, Antonio McDyess, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton and Steve Smith, is the third-ever Olympic team comprised solely of NBA players. The United States Womens basketball team won gold when they beat the Australian Basketball team. The U.S team, comprised of mostly WNBA players, were able to defend their gold medal by beating the host country’s team 76-54.
October 12, 2000 Naismith Cup, the annual all-Canada preseason game at the Corel Center in Ottawa, Ontario brought a victory for the Toronto Raptors over the Vancouver Grizzles with a score of 97-92.
October 14, 2000 Philadelphia 76ers hosted the Washington Wizards at the NBA Mexico 2000. A 17,824 crowd arrived at the Palacio de los Deportes to watch the 76ers preseason 84-80 victory over the Wizards.
October 30, 2000. The NBA hit a record number of international players with 46 NBA players from 28 countries and territories outside of North America.
November 28, 2000 NBA 2ball tips off across Europe in Spain, UK, Italy and Germany. This was a sweepstakes competition where the winners, accompanied by their teachers, competed for a grand prize four-day trip to Washington DC for NBA All-Star 2001, which included NBA Jam Session, NBA All-Star Saturday and the NBA All-Star game.
December 10, 2000 Jerome Moiso of the Boston Celtics and Tariq Abdul-Wahad of the Denver Nuggets become the first players hailing from France to ever compete against each other in an NBA game at Boston’s Fleet Center.
