The Washington Wizards will make history next preseason when they travel to Rio de Janeiro to face the Chicago Bulls, the team announced. The game will be the first-ever preseason contest played in Brazil and is part of the NBA's Global Games initiative.
Nene's presence on the team made Brazil an obvious spot for the Wizards to play.
"It was very nice news and it's a huge step for South America basketbal to represent my team and my Wizards," Nene said, via Monumental Network.
This is one of eight preseason games that will be played overseas next season. The full list is as follows:
2013-14 NBA Global Games Schedule:
|
GAMES |
DATE |
LOCATION |
ARENA |
|
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul |
Oct. 5 |
Istanbul, Turkey |
Ulker Sports Arena |
|
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Uxue Bilbao Basket |
Oct. 6 |
Bilbao, Spain |
Bizkaia Arena at the BEC |
|
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Philadelphia 76ers |
Oct. 8 |
Manchester, England |
Manchester Arena |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers |
Oct. 10 |
Manila, Philippines |
Mall of Asia Arena |
|
Houston Rockets vs. Indiana Pacers |
Oct. 13 |
Taipei, Taiwan |
Taipei Arena |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chicago Bulls vs. Washington Wizards |
Oct. 12 |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
HSBC Arena |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers |
Oct. 15 |
Beijing, China |
MasterCard Center |
|
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers |
Oct. 18 |
Shanghai, China |
Mercedes-Benz Arena |