Paris Olympics

Team USA settles in among sun, skyscrapers and luxury of Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is quickly becoming a home away from home for the USA Basketball Men's National Team and the NBA as a whole.

Shaun Powell

Shaun Powell

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LeBron James and Team USA will play a pair of exhibition games in Abu Dhabi in advance of the Paris Olympics.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — The first trip abroad for the U.S. men’s Olympic team launches in a place where basketball is as sparse as the vegetation.

There are sand and skyscrapers everywhere, along with a stubborn summer sun, all blessed with a sweeping view of the Persian Gulf. It is mainly where expats go for holiday, as they say around here, or to live part-time, a getaway carved in the Arabian Peninsula where remoteness is part of the appeal.

What’s in it for Team USA? Well, let’s just say the hoopers, for the most part, made a business decision. And since that’s the case, why not here, a vibrant spot on the globe where business is booming?

They arrived over the weekend on a private jet and are staying at a five-star resort on Saadiyat Island, where life is served on a sterling silver tray.

Yes, ever since the Dream Team broke global ground, this team has been the envy of all Olympians when it comes to creature comfort,  access and accommodations.

They stayed on a cruise ship docked at the 2016 Rio Games, same for Athens in 2004. Helped by deep-pocketed sponsors and the NBA, the Olympic men since 1992 have never seen the athlete’s village, let alone slept in one.

This is what they’re accustomed to, anyway, because road trips in the NBA are a mashup of jets, the Four Seasons (not winter-spring-summer-fall), security forces and luxury SUVs on call if needed.

As for Abu Dhabi, while not exactly a hotbed of hoops, it’s in some ways an appropriate place for two exhibition games over the next three nights. It’s the second time in as many years for USA Basketball here; the FIBA World Cup team made an exhibition stop last August on its way to the Philippines for the tournament.

And for Anthony Edwards, it’s his third time here in roughly a year. He was on that World Cup team, he’s on this Olympic Team — “first option” as he insists — and his Minnesota Timberwolves played a pair of exhibitions last October against the Mavericks.

So the authority on all things Abu Dhabi is the player with a folksy charm and a quirky way of putting anything in perspective. And how did Ant poetically promote the current surroundings to those American teammates here for the first time?

“It’s dope,” he said.

But of course.

While Dubai offers the Burj Khalifa and Birkin bags about an hour’s drive away, Abu Dhabi, the capital city of UAE, is commanding in its own right, with beaches, Grand Mosque and world class museums. It’s where you can see Batman at the Warner Bros. theme park and then drive cars faster than the Batmobile at Ferrari World.

It’s also very aggressive in attracting all sporting events, basketball in particular. As part of the NBA’s global reach, the UAE is fertile ground. NBA games have aired here since 1987-88 and the push for preseason games on this soil (or sand) have accelerated over recent years with a multi-year collaboration with the league. The Celtics and Nuggets will meet twice here in October.

It’s a mutually-beneficial relationship between the city and basketball. The NBA wants to expand its footprint as much and as far as possible, creating more lust for the sport and revenue streams. Meanwhile, UAE seems eager to open itself to the world, and one way is inviting a global sport.

Team USA has been greeted before each practice by a dignitary, who offers thanks and a few words of appreciation. On the first day it was Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of the Department of Culture and Tourism, which made plenty of sense.

“We’ve all been welcomed warmly here and it’s been great for us, both last year and now,” coach Steve Kerr said.

It’ll be curious to see the reception at Etihad Arena for USA’s games with Australia and Serbia. The middle of July, when temperatures are mean and scary, isn’t exactly the height of tourist season so the city’s population isn’t swollen at the moment.

That said, this is Team USA. It’s LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, etc., etc. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see them and others on one team. For all of its charms and the attractions and the beaches, Abu Dhabi can’t produce LeBron throwing a lob to Jayson Tatum every day.

So, yeah.

And while the Americans are eager to get a taste of the UAE, this counts as a business trip of sorts. Australia has a number of current and ex-NBA players, while Serbia will be a medal contender in Paris with three-time Kia NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Jokic, obviously, will be an early test for Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis, the three bigs for Team USA. He eliminated Davis in the Western Conference Finals in 2023, then beat Adebayo for the championship and has gotten the better of Embiid in recent MVP chases.

“We don’t have much time to prepare,” LeBron said, “so we have to get better every time we step on the floor.”

Kerr will use these games to create chemistry, favorable matchups and for strategic planning, so he’ll once again shuffle lineups.

And Edwards, the leading scorer for Team USA at the World Cup, will get another chance to convince Kerr to elevate him in the rotation.

“This is a lot different than the World Cup,” he said, “but I get to play alongside greats so it’s been great.”

Abu Dhabi had comedy week last spring and snagged Dave Chappelle and Chris Tucker as headliners. Sting and Guns N’ Roses played to sellout crowds last year. The touring cast of “Hamilton” recently made a stop.

And now, the top billing on the entertainment A-list is the latest edition of the greatest basketball team ever assembled.

The local media is obligatorily asking players about their thoughts on Abu Dhabi. Given how the region has embraced USA Basketball for two years now, what’s not to like?

“A great corner of the world,” LeBron said.

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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.

The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the NBA, its clubs or Warner Bros. Discovery.

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