The Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors play a game in London on Thursday. The London game though is an opportunity for many to help grow the game.
Follow Evan Fournier on Snapchat this week — evanfourmizz10 — as the Orlando Magic prepare to play the Toronto Raptors in London this week. You can see just how different some things are.
The demands for Fournier’s time seem to be even greater than most players on the Magic. From nearby France, his family made the short to London to watch him play. There are also media requests from European media (Mario Hezonja was asked plenty of questions in Croatian too) just as Nikola Vucevic is probably facing.
The team itself is being dragged around from event to event — whether it is a kid’s clinic after practice on Wednesday or team photo at Tower Bridge.
These are busy, busy times for the Magic.
But it all has a purpose — for everyone.
The NBA is looking to increase its presence in the United Kingdom and in Europe as a whole. By bringing regular season games to the O2 Arena, the league hopes to show the NBA at its most intense rather than a pedestrian preseason game. It hopes to create new fans in a market that has had inconsistent access to the league.
There are plenty of fans who are eagerly awaiting the Orlando Magic and Toronto Raptors’ arrival and for the game itself. There are plenty of fans looking for the curiosity of the event too.
The Guardian came to Orlando in November for the Magic’s game against the Raptors at Amway Center and produced a short video on the teams and the event, describing what it means for everyone involved:
The Magic too are looking for something. As the video describes, the Magic have been asking to get involved in the London game for some time — particularly after their trip to London was canceled during the lockout-shortened 2012 season.
They, like their efforts in Brazil, want to expand their reach to tourism markets that come to Orlando anyway. The hope is to pull some of those visitors to Magic games when they come to Orlando.
Basketball fans — particularly the surprisingly large contingent of Magic fans in the United Kingdom — want to see live basketball.
United Kingdom basketball fans and fans of Great Britain basketball, like Luol Deng in the video above, hope the NBA’s presence can boost a sometimes lagging grassroots movement in the country. It has stalled mightily since the team’s disappointing showing at the 2012 Olympics.
Many of the Magic players are using this trip too. For most, this is their first trip to London. So there is some sightseeing to do themselves, in addition to preparing for this game.
For a guy like Fournier or Vucevic, there might be marketing opportunities with European sponsors. Fournier on his Instagram shared a photo shoot he did for Nike. That probably does not happen as often in Orlando.
There is a lot to gain from this trip off the court.
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Of course, everyone is mostly focused on what comes Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. There is a game to be played.