Real Madrid

Euroleague American Tour 12 will tip off with a pair of games on Saturday, October 6, one of which will pit Real Madrid and the Memphis Grizzlies against each other at the FedEx Forum. Real will take on the Toronto Raptors at the Air Canada Center two days later.

The game in Memphis will be highlighted by the get-together between Grizzlies center Marc Gasol, who played three Euroleague seasons with Madrid’s rival FC Barcelona Regal, and his teammates from the Spanish national team; Sergio Llull, Sergio Rodriguez and Carlos Suarez. In Toronto, Madrid will come up against a handful of players with Euroleague experience, including Spanish national team guard Jose Calderon. 

"This is the first time we'll play in the US and it will be a great experience for the team," said Juan Carlos Sanchez, Director of the Basketball Section, "We have the chance to promote the Real Madrid brand outside Europe and we'll have to come up with great spectacle so that fans have fun with the meeting of European and American basketball."

Real Madrid have faced NBA sides four times, the first being in 1988 against Larry Bird's Celtics, who were superior to Petrovic, Martin et al. The Whites lost to the Suns in 1993 and won their only game against an NBA team in 2007 against the Toronto Raptors (104-103). They were defeated by Kirilenko's Jazz in 2009.