Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics to compete at third NBA Abu Dhabi Games

The Joker is coming to town! Yes, you heard that right.

Reigning NBA champions Denver Nuggets, spearheaded by their superstar MVP Nikola Jokic, are coming to Abu Dhabi, where they will take on Boston Celtics in two preseason games on October 4 and 6.

In what will be the third staging of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games – which are part of a multi-year deal between the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi and the NBA – basketball fans in the UAE will be treated to a clash between two Western Conference and Eastern Conference giants, pitting Jokic's Nuggets against Jayson Tatum’s Celtics.

Denver Nuggets beat Miami Heat in the Finals last season to clinch the first championship in the team’s 47-year NBA history.

After claiming back-to-back regular season MVP awards in 2021 and 2022, Jokic was named NBA Finals MVP, averaging 30.2 points, 14 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.4 blocks in the Finals against Miami.

“The Denver Nuggets organisation couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to visit and play NBA games in Abu Dhabi this coming preseason. We look forward to this unique experience and being able to help expand the global reach of our great league,” said Kroenke Sports & Entertainment vice-chairman Josh Kroenke.

Celtics currently lead the Eastern Conference with an impressive 48-13 record – the best in the entire league – and are leading contenders to reach this year’s NBA Finals.

Their roster features five-time NBA All-Star Tatum, three-time NBA All-Star Jaylen Brown, 2021 NBA champion Jrue Holiday and 2018 NBA All-Star Kristaps Porziņgis. Holiday participated in the inaugural NBA Abu Dhabi Games in 2022 as a member of Milwaukee Bucks.

2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games - in pictures

“The Boston Celtics have a rich history of international travel and countless fans worldwide, and we welcome this opportunity to play for NBA fans in Abu Dhabi. Basketball is a truly worldwide sport, and international events such as these can help inspire generations of fans across the globe,” said Boston Celtics team president Rich Gotham.

Ticket sales information and the venue for the games will be announced at a later date. Fans can register their interest in receiving more information by visiting nba.com/abudhabi.

The inaugural edition of the Games took place in 2022 with two games between Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, marking the first time in history the NBA held a game in the Arab world.

Last year saw Minnesota Timberwolves pull off a two-game sweep over Dallas Mavericks in the capital, with the likes of Anthony Edwards, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving all making an appearance.

“Our collaboration with the NBA supports our strategy of empowering youth in the UAE, the region and beyond. With the event now in its third year, we are excited to once again host The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2024 and build on our track record of hosting top-tier sporting events,” said Saleh Al Geziry, director general for tourism at DCT Abu Dhabi.

Basketball is fast becoming a key sport in the UAE’s events calendar. Last summer, ahead of the Fiba World Cup, star teams, including a Steve Kerr-coached USA, Germany and Greece, held training camps in Abu Dhabi and played friendly games as part of International Basketball Week, before flying east to the World Cup.

“We’re excited to bring two of the best teams in the NBA to Abu Dhabi in the Celtics and the Nuggets. There is incredible momentum around basketball in the UAE and across the Middle East, and we believe these games as well as our year-round grassroots development and fan engagement efforts will be a catalyst for the continued growth of the game in the region,” said NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum.

DCT – Abu Dhabi have also announced a new global agreement between their destination brand, Experience Abu Dhabi, and the Boston Celtics.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”

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