Real Madrid

Real Madrid welcome the Utah Jazz to town on 8 October for one of the hottest tickets of the fall. It will be the fourth visit to the Spanish capital by an NBA team.

The Boston Celtics were the first NBA team to visit Madrid. Larry Bird and company walked away with a 111-96 win on 24 October 1988. Almost 20 years went by before the NBA came calling again with the Toronto Raptors, who lost to Real Madrid 104-103. New Madridista Jorge Garbajosa  was a member of that Toronto team and scored 15 points.

It will be a memorable event for Travis Hansen, who was born, raised and went to college in Utah before being drafted by the Atlanta Hawks.

Despite having lost powerhouse status from the days of Karl Malone and John Stockton, the Jazz have an attractive lineup with the likes of Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and Mehmet Okur.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8 October, only days after Real Madrid participate in the ACB Super Cup. Utah meanwhile squares off against the Chicago Bulls in an exhibition game in London on 2 October.