The NBA has played regular-season games far beyond the home cities of
its franchises. During the league's early years, neutral-site games
were common and helped bring professional basketball to areas without
an NBA team.
Later, the league expanded internationally with regular-season games
in Canada, Japan, Mexico, England, France and Germany.
First NBA Regular-Season Game by Location
| State / Province / Location |
Date |
Game |
| Ontario |
11/01/1946 |
New York Knicks at Toronto Huskies |
| Illinois |
11/02/1946 |
New York Knicks at Chicago Stags |
| Missouri |
11/02/1946 |
Pittsburgh Ironmen at St. Louis Bombers |
| Michigan |
11/02/1946 |
Washington Capitols at Detroit Falcons |
| Rhode Island |
11/02/1946 |
Boston Celtics at Providence Steamrollers |
| Ohio |
11/03/1946 |
Toronto Huskies at Cleveland Rebels |
| Pennsylvania |
11/04/1946 |
Washington Capitols at Pittsburgh Ironmen |
| Massachusetts |
11/04/1946 |
Chicago Stags at Boston Celtics |
| New York |
11/11/1946 |
Chicago Stags at New York Knicks |
| Washington, D.C. |
11/23/1946 |
Toronto Huskies at Washington Capitols |
| Maryland |
11/13/1947 |
Boston Celtics at Baltimore Bullets |
| Indiana |
11/01/1948 |
St. Louis Bombers at Indianapolis Jets |
| Minnesota |
11/17/1948 |
Boston Celtics at Minneapolis Lakers |
| Iowa |
11/02/1949 |
New York Knicks at Tri-Cities Blackhawks |
| Wisconsin |
11/03/1949 |
Boston Celtics at Sheboygan Redskins |
| Colorado |
11/25/1949 |
Minneapolis Lakers at Denver Nuggets |
| New Jersey |
12/29/1949 |
Syracuse Nationals vs. Philadelphia Warriors |
| Kentucky |
01/30/1950 |
Syracuse Nationals vs. Indianapolis Olympians |
| North Carolina |
03/01/1950 |
Washington Capitols vs. Chicago Stags |
| Kansas |
01/12/1952 |
Minneapolis Lakers vs. Milwaukee Hawks |
| North Dakota |
02/14/1952 |
Minneapolis Lakers vs. Milwaukee Hawks |
| Connecticut |
01/02/1954 |
Baltimore Bullets vs. Boston Celtics |
| Florida |
01/12/1954 |
Fort Wayne Pistons vs. Baltimore Bullets |
| South Dakota |
02/09/1954 |
Philadelphia Warriors vs. Minneapolis Lakers |
| Alabama |
03/05/1954 |
Philadelphia Warriors vs. Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Nebraska |
03/10/1954 |
Rochester Royals vs. Milwaukee Hawks |
| Virginia |
01/06/1955 |
Philadelphia Warriors vs. Milwaukee Hawks |
| Louisiana |
01/19/1955 |
Minneapolis Lakers vs. Milwaukee Hawks |
| Maine |
12/30/1955 |
Syracuse Nationals vs. Boston Celtics |
| Manitoba |
01/08/1957 |
Rochester Royals vs. Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Texas |
02/11/1957 |
Syracuse Nationals vs. St. Louis Hawks |
| California |
01/10/1959 |
New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia Warriors |
| Washington |
01/13/1959 |
Minneapolis Lakers vs. Boston Celtics |
| West Virginia |
01/16/1959 |
Minneapolis Lakers vs. Rochester Royals |
| Oregon |
02/12/1959 |
Minneapolis Lakers vs. Rochester Royals |
| Oklahoma |
01/11/1965 |
St. Louis Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers |
| Nevada |
11/20/1965 |
San Francisco Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers |
| Tennessee |
11/22/1965 |
St. Louis Hawks vs. San Francisco Warriors |
| Arizona |
02/06/1966 |
San Francisco Warriors vs. Cincinnati Royals |
| Quebec |
10/30/1966 |
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Detroit Pistons |
| British Columbia |
02/24/1968 |
Seattle SuperSonics vs. Boston Celtics |
| Georgia |
10/16/1968 |
Cincinnati Royals at Atlanta Hawks |
| South Carolina |
01/16/1969 |
Phoenix Suns vs. Atlanta Hawks |
| Utah |
11/10/1969 |
San Francisco Warriors vs. San Diego Rockets |
| New Mexico |
11/16/1969 |
Phoenix Suns vs. Atlanta Hawks |
| Tokyo, Japan |
11/02/1990 |
Phoenix Suns vs. Utah Jazz |
| Mexico City, Mexico |
12/07/1997 |
Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks |
| London, England |
03/04/2011 |
Toronto Raptors vs. New Jersey Nets |
| Paris, France |
01/24/2020 |
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets |
| Berlin, Germany |
01/15/2026 |
Memphis Grizzlies vs. Orlando Magic |
The February 24, 1968 game in British Columbia was played in
Vancouver, where Boston defeated Seattle 141-137 at Pacific Coliseum.
Berlin joined the list on January 15, 2026, when Orlando defeated
Memphis 118-111. It was the first NBA regular-season game played in
Germany.
States That Have Never Hosted an NBA Regular-Season Game
| State |
First NBA Game |
| Alaska |
None |
| Arkansas |
None |
| Delaware |
None |
| Hawaii |
None |
| Idaho |
None |
| Montana |
None |
| Mississippi |
None |
| New Hampshire |
None |
| Vermont |
None |
| Wyoming |
None |
Preseason NBA Games in States Without a Regular-Season Game
Alaska: Hosted two NBA preseason games in 1967.
Arkansas: Hosted a preseason game between the Utah
Jazz and Buffalo Braves in 1976.
Delaware: Has hosted multiple NBA preseason games
dating back to the 1950s.
Hawaii: Has hosted multiple NBA preseason games.
Idaho: Has hosted several preseason games involving
the Portland Trail Blazers and Utah Jazz.
Montana: Has hosted several NBA preseason games. It
also hosted the first preseason game played by the Oklahoma City
Thunder.
Mississippi: Has hosted preseason games involving
the Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans.
New Hampshire: Has hosted numerous Boston Celtics
preseason games.
Vermont: Has hosted numerous Boston Celtics
preseason games.
Wyoming: Hosted an early NBA preseason game between
the Denver Nuggets and Waterloo Hawks.
About the List
This page tracks the first known NBA regular-season game played in
each location. The list includes games played under the Basketball
Association of America before the league adopted the NBA name in
1949, because BAA history is recognized as part of official NBA
history.
Neutral-site games were much more common during the NBA's early
decades. Teams frequently played games in cities and states that did
not have permanent franchises, helping the league expand its reach
across North America.
