The National Basketball Association is always trying to broaden its fans base globally. The sport of basketball is popular in just about every continent, so the options are endless. Commissioner Adam Silver has made it loud and clear he wants his league to be watched by everyone and everywhere.

The NBA recently announced that next season the league will play two regular season games outside the United States.

The first game will be between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Houston Rockets. The game will be played on Nov. 12 in Mexico City. Minnesota may not seem like the sexy team like the Lakers, Heat or the Knicks, but they do have seven international players from different countries on the team. The Timberwolves will count as the home team under NBA rules.

The second NBA Global Game will be completely overseas on Jan. 15. The New York Knicks will face the Milwaukee Bucks in London with the Bucks being the home team. The NBA has games annually in London, so this is standard protocol by now.

But the international games don't end there. Preseason exhibition games will also be played in various countries around the world. These countries include Brazil, Germany, Turkey and China. The schedule for those games have not been announced yet, but the teams have. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets will all be playing in them.

The first ever regular season game played overseas was in 1990 when the Utah Jazz and Karl Malone played the Phoenix Suns in a double header. This was actually the first overseas game in the four major sports. The first time an NBA game was played in Latin America was between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets in 1992 in a preseason game. In 1997, those same two teams faced each other in Mexico City in the first ever regular season game in Latin America.

As for the NFL, it wouldn't be until 2005 when the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers play each other in Mexico City for Latin America to host a "big four" game.

It's extremely unlikely a team will be added overseas or to Mexico, but with games being added abroad, worldwide popularity will only grow. Basketball won't take overtake soccer as the world's most popular sport anytime soon, but fans can watch their favorite players live all across the world if this process continues. The Spurs are a great selection because they have many players from South America and Europe.

Maybe this idea and experiment will pay off for the NBA bringing in more fans and viewers from across the world

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