Knicks, 76ers to Face Off in Abu Dhabi

The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers are taking their show on the road.

Nov 12, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) controls the ball against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the first quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks putting their money where their sponsor patch is.

The team announced on Thursday that they will face off against the Philadelphia 76ers in a pair of preseason games next fall. New York has worn a sponsor patch promoting the "Experience Abu Dhabi" campaign on their uniforms this season in a collaboration with Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism.

The exhibitions will take place on Oct. 2 and 4.

“It’s an exciting moment for our entire organization to participate in The NBA Abu Dhabi Games," Knicks president Leon Rose said in a statement, per Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. "This will serve as a strong way to tip off our 2025-26 season and provide our players with a special opportunity to showcase and grow the game we love around the world.”

This will be the fourth edition of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games, which featured defending NBA champions Boston and Denver in last fall's preseason showdowns in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

Current Knicks Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, and Josh Hart previously partook in Abu Dhabi exhibitions in 2023 when they repped the United States men's national basketball team in their last FIBA World Cup run. The Americans defeated Greece and Germany in a pair of warm-up games. Teammate Karl-Anthony Towns helped the Minnesota Timberwolves sweep the Dallas Mavericks in the 2023 Abu Dhabi Games.

The Knicks will also take the floor overseas for the first time since 2019 when they dropped a 101-100 regular season game to the Washington Wizards in London. New York has previously played international preseason games in Barcelona (1990), Mexico City (1993) and Paris (2010).

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