Jazz and Thunder to host Breakers in NBA pre-season

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Basketball League (NBL) today announced that the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder will host the New Zealand Breakers for preseason games in October, marking the sixth time in eight years that an NBL team will travel to the U.S. to participate in the NBA preseason.
 
The Breakers, who will be playing their sixth and seventh preseason NBA games, will face the Jazz on Friday, Oct. 4 at the Delta Center (Saturday, Oct. 5 AEST) followed by a matchup against the Thunder on Thursday, Oct. 10 (Friday, Oct. 11 AEDT) at BOK Center in Tulsa.  The games will mark the Jazz’s sixth preseason meeting against an NBL team and the Thunder’s fourth.
 
“The NBL-NBA games have become a highlight and visual representation of the strong connection we have with the NBA,” said NBL Chief Operating Officer and Head of Basketball Operations, Vince Crivelli.  “These games also continue to position our teams and athletes alongside the very best our sport has to offer globally.  Our relationship with the NBA continues to grow and evolve, and we look forward to working on more exciting initiatives in the future.  The Breakers are a wonderful organization with a proud history of success and have really embraced these games, and we wish them all the best against the Jazz and Thunder.”
 
“It has been tradition for the BNZ Breakers to fly stateside and compete against the very best in the NBA and we are proud to continue our association with the best basketball league in the world,” Breakers Owner Matt Walsh said.  “It started in 2019 against the Phoenix Suns and we’ve since had games against the Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers.  We look forward to flying to the USA in October and resuming our rivalry with the Jazz and Thunder.”
           
“Hosting NBL teams for preseason games in the U.S. is part of our commitment to engaging the passionate basketball fans in Australia and New Zealand and working with other top leagues around the world,” said NBA Asia Head of Strategy Rajah Chaudhry.  “These matchups have become a fixture of the NBA calendar and a tremendous opportunity to spotlight NBL talent to a global audience, and we look forward to two competitive games when the New Zealand Breakers visit the Jazz and Thunder in October.”
 
The Thunder currently features two-time NBA All-Star and All-NBA First Team member Shai Gilgeous Alexander, 2024 All-Rookie First Team member Chet Holmgren, and former NBL Next Star Ousmane Dieng.  The Jazz currently features 2023 NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen, 2021 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson, and 2023 NBA All-Rookie First Team member Walker Kessler.  To date, nine NBL Next Stars have been drafted directly from the NBL to the NBA, including Dieng, Josh Giddey (Chicago Bulls), LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets), and 2024 No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards).  A record four Next Stars were selected in the 2024 NBA Draft, including Sarr, AJ Johnson (Milwaukee Bucks), Bobi Klintman (Detroit Pistons) and Ariel Hukporti (New York Knicks). 
 
Last season, nine Australian players were among the record 125 international players on opening-night NBA rosters, trailing only the U.S., Canada, and France, while 13 players with NBL experience were featured on an NBA roster. 
 
NBA games and programming reach fans in Australia on ESPN and NBA League Pass, the league’s premium live game subscription service available on the NBA App.  Fans in Australia can continue to shop for the latest NBA merchandise at NBAStore.com.au, the official online NBA Store in Australia.  For more information about the NBA, fans in Australia can visit The Sporting News Australia, download the NBA App and follow the NBA on Facebook, Instagram and X.  For more on the NBL, fans can visit NBL.com.au.