The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) today announced the star-studded lineup of NBA and WNBA legends and celebrities who will headline “NBA Fan Appreciation Day in Abu Dhabi” on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Etihad Arena and “NBA District” from Thursday, Oct. 3 – Sunday, Oct 6 at Manarat Al Saadiyat. The interactive fan events will be held in conjunction with The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ, which will feature the two most recent NBA champions in the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets playing preseason games on Friday, Oct. 4 and Sunday, Oct. 6 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.
The seven NBA and WNBA legends who will attend the fan events – Muggsy Bogues, Marcus Camby, Derek Fisher, Sylvia Fowles, Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal and Mitch Richmond – collectively amassed 44 All-Star appearances, 12 championships and three league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards throughout their careers. Grammy Award-winning rapper 2 Chainz will also perform live at both events, including The NBA Night hosted by Shaq at NBA District on Oct. 3. Tickets for the NBA Night are available now via Ticketmaster.ae.
NBA Fan Appreciation Day in Abu Dhabi, which will tip off at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 5, will celebrate the NBA and the game of basketball with a variety of fan entertainment featuring Celtics and Nuggets players, including a skills challenge and three-point contest, NBA team mascot appearances, a slam dunk contest featuring professional dunkers, musical acts and more.
NBA District, an interactive fan event celebrating the convergence of basketball, popular culture and the NBA that has welcomed more than 10,000 fans in each of the past two years, will open to the public at 1 p.m. on Oct. 3. Fans will have the opportunity to participate in basketball activities on a full-size NBA court, take their photo with the Larry O’Brien Trophy, purchase limited-edition and customized NBA merchandise, get a free haircut at the NBA Barbershop, attend panel sessions and more.
Tickets for NBA Fan Appreciation Day in Abu Dhabi are on sale now at etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae. Tickets for NBA District are available at ticketmaster.ae.
Tickets for The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 presented by ADQ are on sale at etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae. Unrivalled access, hospitality and experiences for fans as well as local cultural excursions and hotel accommodations are also available for purchase at http://nbaexperiences.com/abudhabi.
Below are brief bios of the participating legends:
• Bogues, the 12th overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft, is the Charlotte Hornets’ franchise leader in assists and steals.
• Camby, the second overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, led the league in blocked shots four times and was named the 2006-07 NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
• Fisher is a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and a former NBA and WNBA head coach.
• Fowles is a two-time WNBA champion with the Minnesota Lynx, the 2017 WNBA MVP and an eight-time WNBA All-Star.
• Garnett, a 2008 NBA champion with the Celtics, a 15-time NBA All-Star, the 2003-04 NBA MVP and the 2007-08 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
• O’Neal, a four-time NBA champion with the Lakers (three) and Miami Heat (one), three-time NBA Finals MVP and 15-time NBA All-Star, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
• Richmond, who won the 2002 NBA championship with the Lakers, is a six-time NBA All-Star, the MVP of the 1995 NBA All-Star Game and a 2014 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
