London calling

There were still the Washington Bullets the first time the NBA landed in Europe. It was 1978, and the game was played in Tel Aviv against Maccabi. Many European tours followed, also in Italy. Then it was Asia's turn (with China on the top of the charts), and then the McDonalds Championship. 

Last year NBA returned to London, and it was with two historical franchises, that have made the history of the NBA, especially in a stylish way. The Orlando Magic and the Toronto Raptors, holders (of two)  of the most beautiful jerseys in the history of the game. nss sports was in London last year thanks to Foot Locker, that presented the mega-campaign It Must Be February. London has marked some of the most symbolic moments in the expansion on this side of the ocean of NBA and Global Games. Let's review some of that.

Superman on the Thames

The first visit to the Queen is one  unforgettable. In 1993, in fact, for the first time NBA plays a round of pre-season showing  one of the most NBA glittering stars. Shaquille O'Neal in fact asphalted (with the invaluable help of Penny Hardway) the Atlanta Hawks indulging even a picture that will remain then the symbol of the Global Games. The Hawks responded the next day, winning the rematch, thanks to another symbol, that Dominique Wilkins just become the main sponsor of the Reebok Pump. ATL and Orlando also inaugurated the tradition, so far always honored, of taking photo backdrop of Tower Bridge.

The Champ Is Here

In 1994 Michael Jordan did not play in the NBA, he had in fact retired following the wishes of the deceased father, and try to become (unsuccessfully) a champion of baseball. To take advantage of it was Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon leading the Houston Rockets to two rings in a row. There was then a long wait when in October of '94 he arrives in London for a McDonalds Championship, to challenge the Perth Wildcats and the historic Buckler Bologna. Hakeem, however, remains to watch both games but Clyde Drexler taked the scenes. 

Where Amazing Happens

The 2011 was the year chosen for the final NBA landing: they play the first regular season game in the history in Europe! Almost twenty years later are the Toronto Raptors (one of the ways to represent as many countries as possible) to act as pioneers, accompanied by the New Jersey Nets. The project was part of a wider involvement of basketball in London, ahead of the 2012 Olympics and the invitation of the Nets, just bought by Russian billionaire Prozorov and ready to become the coolest team in the league, and Raptors (who had the roster 12 players of different nationalities) were marked by the "interest to globalization that the two teams have shown," said the now former commission David Stern. The two games were spectacular, with a very good test also of Andrea Bargnani.

Paul George in the history

The two select teams for the 2012 match are instead the Denver Nuggets of Danilo Gallinari and Indiana Pacers of Paul George. For the last - as we have told yesterday - the London game will be particularly important: PG will enter in fact officially in the elites of the  Nike Basketball players, with the presentation of his first signature sneaker. But the motives for interest will be different: the technique of Nikola Jokic and Myles Turner, the monstre athleticism of Faried and still others.

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