In addition to growing in popularity within the continental United States, the NBA has also made strides in continuing to spread the game globally. Last summer they held the annual NBA Africa Game, which featured former Los Angeles Lakers forward Luol Deng and center JaVale McGee.
Then in October, the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers played a preseason game in Shanghai, and another in Shenzhen, China. The NBA has previously hosted games in Beijing, Guangzhou, Macao and Mexico City, among other international locations.
Although travel challenges can arise, particularly in the event a regular-season game is played internationally, the strategy has seemingly been beneficial for the league and teams.