Celtics to play Real Madrid as part of global games

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Euroleague Basketball announced Monday that the Boston Celtics will play a preseason game on Oct. 8 against Euroleague Basketball's Real Madrid as part of NBA Global Games Madrid 2015.

The game between the 17-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics, led by Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas, and the nine-time Euroleague and 32-time Spanish League Champion Real Madrid will take place in the Spanish capital at the Barclaycard Center.

The two teams met previously in 1988 in a game that saw Fernando Martin, the first Spanish player ever to play in the NBA, and the late Drazen Petrovic compete against Celtics legends Larry Bird and Danny Ainge, the team's current President of Basketball Operations.

Prior to the game in Madrid, the Celtics will play three-time Euroleague Champion and 26-time Italian League Champion Olimpia Milano on Oct. 6 at Milan's Mediolanum Forum.

NBA Global Games 2015 will feature additional games around the world, including:

  • China: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Charlotte Hornets in Shenzhen on Oct. 11 and Shanghai on Oct.14
  • Brazil: Orlando Magic vs. Flamengo in Rio de Janeiro on Oct. 17
  • Mexico: Boston Celtics vs. Sacramento Kings in Mexico City on Dec. 3 (regular season)

Additional games and locations will be announced at a later date.