NBA to host four day fan event before Thunder and 76ers showdown

The NBA will descend on Manchester this weekend with four days of fan events before Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night.

The NBA have announced a free four-day fan festival in the city to mark the NBA Global Games 2013.

Philadelphia and Oklahoma meet in a pre-season encounter as they gear up for the new NBA campaign and players past and present will join dance teams and mascots at the Fan Zone.

The Fan Zone will take place at The Printworks in Manchester from October 5-8 as the city prepares to host an NBA game for the first time.

Fans will have an opportunity to meet current players from the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder, as well as NBA Legends Peja Stojakovic, Vlade Divac, Dikembe Mutombo and Manchester’s own John Amaechi.

Before the two teams meet on Tuesday night, Oklahoma will play Fenerbahce on October 5 while Philadelphia will take on Bilbao on October 6.

When talking about the NBA’s Global Games series, commissioner David Stern said: “Providing fans with an authentic NBA experience is an important part of our efforts to grow the game globally.

“This autumn, nearly a third of our teams embark on a global tour that will celebrate the game of basketball, give our international fans a chance to connect with NBA teams and players, and leave a lasting impact in each of the communities we visit.”

The Oklahoma City Thunder take on the Philadelphia 76ers at the Phones 4u Arena on October 8th as part of NBA Global Games 2013. Tickets are still available at www.eventim.co.uk