LONDON - Toronto Raptors set to play to play two regular-season games in London next year
The Toronto Raptors will play two of their regular season games in London next year, the league confirmed Monday.
NBA commissioner David Stern says the Raptors will face the New Jersey Nets on March 4 and 5 at the O2 Arena.
The NBA has been looking to expand overseas for years, and Stern has said in the past he would like to play a competitive game in London before the British capital hosts the Olympics in 2012.
Before this season opens, the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves will each play two games in the fifth instalment of the NBA's preseason Europe Live Tour. The 2009 champion Lakers will face the Timberwolves at the O2 Arena in London on Oct. 4 and then play Barcelona in Spain three days later.
"The staging of our first regular-season games in Europe is a milestone for the NBA and the ongoing development of basketball in the region," said Stern in a statement. "By bringing these two young and exciting teams to London, we are fulfilling our commitment to schedule a regular-season game in the UK prior to the 2012 Olympics."
