(Reuters) – The Canadian cities of Montreal and Vancouver will host one preseason game each ahead of the 2023-24 National Basketball Association (NBA) regular season, the league said on Thursday.
The two games are part of the NBA Canada Series aimed at growing the game in the country and will start with the Toronto Raptors facing the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 8 in Vancouver.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, whose roster features Canadians Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, will then close out the Canada-hosted showcase when they take on the Detroit Pistons in Montreal on Oct. 12.
In total, 15 NBA teams have participated in 16 preseason games across six cities as part of the NBA Canada Series, which launched in 2012.
NBA rosters at the start of the 2022-23 NBA season featured a record number of players from Canada (22), making it the most-represented country outside of the United States for a ninth consecutive year.
The 2023-24 NBA regular season begins on Oct. 24.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; editing by Clare Fallon)
