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Sixers Looking to Make The Most Out of Abu Dhabi Trip

While going over to compete and get acclimated for the upcoming season, multiple Sixers see their trip abroad as an opportunity to grow closer.
Declan Harris|
Apr 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey looks on after the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Apr 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey looks on after the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia 76ers

On Monday morning, the Philadelphia 76ers completed their flight to the United Arab Emirates, where they're set to be for a few days as they take on the New York Knicks for a pair of matches as part of the NBA's Abu Dhabi Games.

Given the shift in time zones and required continued training as they land in the Middle East, Sixers' head coach Nick Nurse provided a rough layout of what the team's regimen is going to look like for their time abroad, with recovery from not only the practice but the traveling being a key point of focus for the team.

"The schedule is we fly and hopefully land around 12:30 in the afternoon, we don't have a practice tomorrow [Monday], we do have optional shooting in case anybody wants to go do it, and then we resume practice on Tuesday," explained Nurse. "So I think a big part of it is having a decent recovery time there for everybody, and then just getting back to work. Then I think again, you probably schedule it out as a normal practice, and then see what the feel of it goes like... But, but the goal for me is to, is to get there and get to work, you know, and look forward to that."

The flight abroad

The distance between Philadelphia and Abu Dhabi is 6,927 miles, which makes for quite the plane ride, with most travel agencies estimating that it would take over 16 hours to make the trip. This was something that some of the Sixers hadn't ever experienced, such as Dominick Barlow, who only had his trip to Europe over the summer to compare it to.

"This is definitely the longest flight. I went to Barcelona in the summer, that was about eight hours, so this, this beats that," Barlow told reporters ahead of the team's flight.

Given the longer than normal duration, some players were left to different methods of curing their boredom, with Kelly Oubre Jr. opting to use YouTube and his Nintendo Switch as a way to make the time pass.

"Watch YouTube for a little bit, try to learn something, and play my switch. I got a Nintendo Switch I bring on the road, then sometimes, I read," Oubre explained. "Just try to do different things, because I get bored and antsy pretty easily."

The popular gaming console is set to be a shared way to pass the time, as the aforementioned Barlow sees it as an option, as well as watching "Training Day", a movie he has quite an affinity towards.

"I usually just sleep... but this, I don't think I'm gonna be able to do that. So I download some movies, I watch Training Day, it's like my favorite movie, playing my Nintendo Switch or something, just keep myself as entertained as possible without, like, killing my sleep schedule," Barlow said.

Some see it as a bonding experience

While the Sixers are there to compete in those two matches, some players are seeing it as an opportunity to explore a different part of the world, such as Tyrese Maxey, who is also viewing it as a chance to bond.

"I think it's a good camaraderie trip. I don't know a lot of people who've been to Abu Dhabi. I know Joel has. I don't know who else has been, but I sure haven't," Maxey stated. "So I can't wait to I'm looking forward to going out there and seeing some things."

The chance to be a team in a place unknown to many of the members is something that Barlow sees as a way to help everyone become closer, whether they're rookies or veteran figures.

"We're gonna be in a place that I don't think many people in our locker room have been, so we're all going to get a first experience together, and I think that's, like, important for our growth, being a bunch of new guys," the 22-year-old explained. "We have vets, we have super young guys, I mean, three rookies, so just understanding that we're probably in different phases of life, but all trying to achieve the same goal."

The Sixers are set to play their first of two matches against the Knicks on Thursday, with their second and final match abroad coming on Saturday.

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Declan Harris
DECLAN HARRIS

Declan Harris is a writer for FanNation's All76ers powered by Sports Illustrated Media Group. In addition to his role covering the Sixers, Declan also writes for CityXtra, covering Manchester City F.C. He is a 2023 Temple University Lew Klein School of Media and Communications graduate.

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