For basketball fans in the UAE, it doesn’t get any bigger than the NBA.
The announcement of a multi-year partnership between the American basketball league and the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi brought joy to many fans in the UAE. The first games as part of the new deal will pit the 2021 NBA champions Milwaukee Bucks against the Atlanta Hawks in two pre-season ties at Etihad Arena on Yas Island this week.
John Gil Aposaga, 26, from Bacolod City, Philippines, has been a fan of the NBA since he was 12, when he would watch French basketball star Tony Parker play for the San Antonio Spurs. These days, he enjoys watching Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets, citing Irving's ball control and mentality on the court.
Aposaga is also a point guard like Irving and Parker. He plays for Team Tambay in an amateur league in Abu Dhabi almost every day after work.
“I started playing basketball when I was 8 years old,” he says. “The NBA is the most famous league in the world, especially in the Philippines.”
When he first heard that the league was coming, he was excited for the opportunity to see some of his favourite players, although he won't be able to make the NBA games this time around. “Thank you for the opportunity to hold games here in UAE. Please continue a world tour like this,” says Aposaga. “Many people can't afford to go to the US and watch the NBA live. It's a dream come true to those ballers out there.”
Meanwhile, Dubai resident Harry Constantino, 31, who is from Pagadian City, Philippines, shares the same enthusiasm.
“In the Philippines, we love basketball. We watch everything from our local leagues to international pro leagues,” he says. “I was hooked to the NBA when I saw Kobe Bryant playing.”
Like Aposaga, he continues playing the sport when he has free time, often joining Filipino and invitation leagues, playing as a shooting guard or forward depending on what a team needs. He says he is already impressed with the partnership between the two sides.
“They are doing a really great job. They are bringing the players here that we look up to,” he says. “From what I see, even before [the deal], basketball in the UAE is starting to grow. They are already organising invitational leagues and starting to bring international players into their local leagues as their reinforcements to begin with.
“Bringing the NBA games here will definitely boost basketball’s popularity.”
However, it isn’t only the Philippines that has fans ready to celebrate the NBA in the UAE. Jinshuo Ma, from China, lives and works in Abu Dhabi. He studied Arabic at the University of Sharjah and goes by the Arabic name Khaldun.
With the NBA investing in its brand internationally, including in China, it's not a surprise that Ma is a fan. ESPN has valued NBA China at approximately $5 billion.
Ma says he's been a fan for more than five years with Derrick Rose his favourite player. He also played basketball recreationally in Sharjah for the university team as a point guard.
NBA fandom isn't just centred on male fans. Karen Cano, 26, and her friend Luciana Redi, 25, from Argentina, currently live in Abu Dhabi and were at the opening day of NBA District at Manarat Al Saadiyat, an event that Cano described as “amazing”.
She became a fan during the pandemic, citing family influence, as her three older brothers are followers of the sport. “I was really excited when I heard the news that basketball is coming to Abu Dhabi,” Cano says.
While she a huge fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, her favourite player is Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan.
Zack Rawlings, 36, came to the fan zone with his wife Auriel and young son Colin. The American family have lived in the capital since 2017 and although the time difference makes it difficult to watch games live, Rawlings says that if you have a love for something, you’ll make the effort for it.
Like Cano, he names Jordan as the player that helped him fall in love with the sport. When he heard that the league was coming to Abu Dhabi, he wasted little time in securing a spot for the family.
“Immediately I went on Ticketmaster, looking for tickets. I just searched the web to see if anything was out,” he says. “As soon as I heard about it, I was amped and ready to go. I miss going to the games.”
"This is a great facility they picked out here. How they've got it set up is wonderful, there are things to do for the family and the kids. If anything, if the NBA is coming here, I think they should probably do heavier promotion when they come because they'll get the crowd.. And, we've got a brand new arena. So we're Abu Dhabi ready for them so you know, bring on the teams."
Scroll through the gallery below to see images from NBA District at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi
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Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The five pillars of Islam
North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
