Back in August, the NBA announced that the Heat and Spurs would face off in Mexico City on Dec. 17.
The head-to-head battle between Miami and San Antonio will be played at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, marking the first NBA Mexico City Game since 2019. This will be the league's 31st game in Mexico.
The first-ever international game played between NBA teams was in 1984 when the Phoenix Suns and New Jersey Nets traveled to Milan, Italy for a preseason. Six years later, in 1990, the NBA played its first regular-season game away from North America when the Suns and Utah Jazz competed in Tokyo, Japan.
Since then, the NBA has consistently played both preseason and regular-season games in South America and overseas, with Mexico City being the latest destination.
Take a look below to find the international countries that have hosted the most NBA games.
All-time international NBA preseason games
There have been 78 NBA preseason games played outside of North America. The first NBA preseason game to take place on international soil was between the Suns and Nets on Sept. 11, 1984, in Milan, Italy.
The most recent NBA preseason game to take place outside of North America was this past October, when the Bucks and Hawks faced off in Abu Dhabi.
Take a look at which international countries have hosted the most NBA preseason games:
| Country | Total games | First game | Last game | Cities |
| China | 25 | Oct. 14, 2004 | Oct. 12, 2019 | Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen |
| Mexico | 19 | Oct. 27, 1992 | Oct. 7, 2012 | Mexico City, Monterrey |
| England | 6 | Oct. 30, 1993 | Oct. 8, 2013 | London, Manchester |
| Puerto Rico | 6 | Oct. 30, 1993 | Oct. 10, 2006 | San Juan |
| France | 3 | Oct. 18, 1994 | Oct. 6, 2010 | Paris |
| Germany | 3 | Oct. 18, 1996 | Oct. 14, 2008 | Berlin, Cologne |
| Brazil | 2 | Oct. 12, 2013 | Oct. 11, 2014 | Rio de Janeiro |
| India | 2 | Oct. 4, 2019 | Oct. 5, 2019 | Mumbai |
| Italy | 2 | Sept. 11, 1984 | Oct. 6, 2007 | Milan, Rome |
| Japan | 2 | Oct. 8, 2019 | Oct. 10, 2019 | Saitama |
| Spain | 2 | Oct. 20, 1996 | Oct. 17, 2008 | Seville, Barcelona |
| Taiwan | 2 | Oct. 8, 2009 | Oct. 13, 2013 | Taipei |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | Oct. 11, 2002 | Oct. 11, 2002 | Santo Domingo |
| Philippines | 1 | Oct. 10, 2013 | Oct. 10, 2013 | Manila |
| United Arab Emirates | 1 | Oct. 6, 2022 | Oct. 8, 2022 | Abu Dhabi |
All-time international NBA regular season games
There have been 33 NBA regular season games played on international soil. The first NBA regular season game to take place outside of North America was between the Suns and Jazz on Nov. 2, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan.
The most recent NBA regular season game to take place internationally was between the Bucks and Hornets on Jan. 24, 2020, in Paris, France.
Take a look at which countries have hosted the most NBA regular season games:
| Country | Total games | First game | Last game | Cities |
| Japan | 12 | Nov. 2, 1990 | Nov. 1, 2003 | Tokyo, Yokohama, Saitama |
| Mexico | 11 | Dec. 7, 1997 | Dec. 14, 2019 | Mexico City |
| England | 9 | March 4, 2011 | Jan. 17, 2019 | London |
| France | 1 | Jan. 24, 2020 | Jan. 24, 2020 | Paris |
