Berlin wakes up to an NBA scene that feels slightly out of place yet perfectly timed. Two franchises built on youth and reinvention bring regular-season basketball to a city more used to soccer anthems than tip-offs.
The Magic and the Grizzlies arrive far from home, carrying different timelines but similar ambitions. This isn’t just a neutral court, it’s a stage shaped by league strategy, global reach, and a growing European appetite for the game.
Behind the novelty of the location lies a larger story about why this matchup matters now. Calendar decisions, commercial goals and basketball politics quietly converge, turning one night in Berlin into something bigger than a game.
Why the NBA chose Berlin for Magic vs. Grizzlies
The Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies will face off in Berlin on January 15, 2026, because the NBA is deliberately expanding its regular-season footprint into Europe — and Germany is now part of that strategy.
This matchup, set for the Uber Arena, marks the first time an NBA regular-season game will ever be played in Germany, a milestone in the league’s international agenda.
Jonathan Isaac #1 of the Orlando Magic in 2025 (Source: Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
This contest is part of a broader three-year series of NBA regular-season games across Europe, with future stops planned in London, Manchester and Paris through 2028. The league hopes these events will deepen connections with European fans, grow the sport’s popularity, and showcase top talent on a global stage beyond the United States and Canada.
For the Magic, playing in Berlin has extra resonance: German NBA players Franz and Moritz Wagner, along with Tristan da Silva, are on the roster, making the game a kind of homecoming and adding personal narrative to the league’s global push. Fans in the city and across Europe are turning out in huge numbers, underlining the appetite for NBA basketball far from its traditional arenas.
