WASHINGTON (WUSA9)--For the first time ever, the Washington Wizards will travel outside of North American to play in a regular season game.
The Wizards will face the New York Knicks in NBA London Game.
The matchup is slated to take place January 17, 2019 at The O2 arena with tickets going on sale this Fall.
During the early 1990s the NBA started an initiative to spread their brand by establishing the NBA Global Games.
The first regular season game took place in Japan, and slowly spread to Mexico and eventually London in 2011.
This will mark the ninth time the NBA has hosted a game in London, with all of the previous games selling out. The most recent game in London took place last season between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
The Wizards will be the thirteenth team to play in the London Games.
Washington has previously played overseas exhibition games in Israel, China, The Philippines, The Bahamas, Mexico, Germany, Spain and Brazil.
The last time the team traveled outside the United States was in 2013, for the first ever NBA preseason game in Brazil against the Chicago Bulls.
"It will be an honor to represent the Washington Wizards organization as we play our first game in the UK," Wizards All-Star Guard John Wall said in a press release, "I look forward to connecting with our fans in London and using the experience to further bond as a team.”
This will be the Knicks third time playing in London and their first since 2015, against the Milwaukee Bucks.
