As the New York Knicks took on the Philadelphia 76ers on the court, the magnificent Etihad Arena was rocking with the energy of the basketball fans on Saturday.

It was only a pre-season NBA game. For casual fans, Academy Award-winning American actor Adrien Brody sharing a few lighthearted moments with the flamboyant Bollywood star Ranveer Singh probably inspired them to create a series of Instagram reels.

But for others, the impact of world-class sporting events in the UAE like the Abu Dhabi NBA Games, is more profound as they offer them a wonderful opportunity to come together at a time of unrest and conflicts in so many countries.

For Dubai-based American expat Dida Atassi, the New York Knicks-Philadelphia 76ers game was more than a battle of cagers.   

“I am from Washington, DC, but I live in Dubai with my British husband and our two sons,” she said.

“Sporting events are huge; it’s a great way to come together, to be united around something. It’s great for the region because there is a cultural element behind it. It’s so nice for fans to come together, cheering for something, because the world is crazy these days. It’s really nice to come together for a positive reason.”

Egyptian national Ismail travelled from Dubai to Abu Dhabi with a group of fans for the game.

Ismail and Mahmoud.

“As a resident of the UAE, I feel blessed to get these opportunities to watch these high-profile sports events here; it’s great for this region,” said Ismail.

“Sports bring people together, so it’s wonderful to see so many fans here coming from so many different countries and enjoying a great game of basketball.”

Remarkably, a good number of fans flew from the US just to attend the two pre-season NBA games in Abu Dhabi.

Among them was Marcellus, who took the long flight from Houston, Texas, to Abu Dhabi.

“I came here with my friends, Vetted and Demetria. It’s wonderful to watch this game among all these amazing fans. The game also allowed us to see this wonderful city (Abu Dhabi), and we loved this experience,” Marcellus said.

Marcellus, Vetted and Demetria

A regular at the NBA games in the US, Marcellus was surprised to see the wonderful facilities in Abu Dhabi.

“I think it’s a fantastic stadium, and the atmosphere was wonderful,” she said.

“It felt like we were watching a big NBA game in the US. It had the same vibe and energy.”

Meanwhile, Calvin, who flew from Boston with his girlfriend Rachel, booked the games' tickets as soon as they had gone on sale.  

Calvin and Rachel.

“We wanted to come and see Abu Dhabi and Dubai. So, this gave us an opportunity to come to another country and see the Knicks play. That was enticing for us,” Calvin said.

It was another sporting event which brought Calvin to the UAE a few years ago.

“This is my second time here, the first time I came here for the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix,” he said.

“The F1 experience was great, the race activities on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and all the other things, the after-race concerts. It’s a great event. This country does some amazing sporting events.”