OKC Thunder to play Nets on Dec. 7 in Mexico City
OKC Thunder to participate in annual Mexico City Games against Brooklyn Nets.
Our beloved OKC Thunder will be traveling to Mexico City next season to play the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 7. Don’t worry, Thunder faithful, the game counts as a road game. The Peake will still host 41 regular season games this year.
The marks the first time OKC will travel to Mexico for a regular season game and the 25th time in league history. This season is the 25th anniversary of the first NBA game held in Mexico City.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti commented on the game, saying, “We’re excited to be asked to participate in the NBA Mexico City Games 2017 as the NBA expands its global reach.” He continued by saying, “As we enter only our 10th season of Thunder Basketball in Oklahoma City, we feel incredibly fortunate that our team and fan base will get to experience our first regular-season game abroad.”
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The spectacular season of Russell Westbrook and offseason addition of Paul George likely helped secure OKC a game in Mexico. The reigning MVP is one of the biggest stars in the league and is worth the price of admission alone.
Aside from travel, a game in Mexico City does present a new challenge for the players: altitude. The city is 7,382 feet above sea level. By comparison, Denver is only 5,280 feet above sea level.
The full schedule has yet to be released, but one would hope that the OKC Thunder have a couple of days off before they have to travel to Mexico City. Our friends to the south deserve a high-level basketball game, not a game between two teams that are gassed by halftime.
The NBA schedule will reportedly be released this week. Until then, we should celebrate the honor of being chosen for the annual Mexico City Games.