| Tony Parker missed his chance to play for his | | | | two-day tournament that also includes CSKA |
| country this summer, a broken finger kept him | | | | Moscow and Maccabi Tel Aviv, the top two |
| out of the world championships in August, but | | | | finishers in the Euroleague last year. The |
| he wouldn't miss the chance to play for the | | | | last event is heavily pushed by the NBA, they |
| home fans in two cities. Now the San Antonio | | | | are calling it its "most ambitious |
| Spurs' guard is getting a chance to play in | | | | international initiative," because it comes |
| his homeland. | | | | with a number of marketing and promotional |
| | | | activities. |
| The Spurs is one of the four NBA teams that | | | | |
| are in France, spending a portion of its | | | | I think we can all conclude that this is a |
| preseason overseas as part of the NBA Europe | | | | Public Relations trip more than a preseason |
| Live tour. The Philadelphia 76ers, Los | | | | preparation, since basketball has become such |
| Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns joined the | | | | a global game. What brings the more challenge |
| Spurs in Europe to get an earlier start even | | | | to the players might be the fact that it is |
| if this meant they would do it really far | | | | something like 13 time zones. They will be |
| from home. The rest of the NBA just opened up | | | | jet lagged and they will be going to be |
| training camps at home. The 76ers are in | | | | playing two pretty tough teams. But at the |
| Barcelona, the Clippers in Moscow and the | | | | end the NBA has high hopes that the teams |
| Suns in Treviso, Italy, and Rome. | | | | will accomplish what they want to accomplish, |
| | | | and in the process they might want to take |
| The Philadelphia 76ers and the Phoenix Suns | | | | advantage of the trip for the players to get |
| will later head to Cologne, Germany, for the | | | | a little culture as well. |
| most important event of the whole trip, a | | | | |