Detroit Pistons To Play Preseason Game In Puerto Rico

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Detroit Pistons announced today that the club will play a preseason game against the Miami HEAT in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 10. Both teams are expected to travel with their full preseason rosters, bringing to the island Detroit Pistons All-Stars Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, as well as Shaquille O’Neal and Dywane Wade of the Miami HEAT. Tickets to the game will go on-sale on Friday, June 16, at Coliseo de Puerto Rico Jose Miguel Agrelot and www.ticketpop.com.

“We are pleased to announce that we are playing a preseason game in Puerto Rico next season,” said Joe Dumars, Pistons President of Basketball Operations. “We look forward to bringing the excitement of NBA basketball to the fans of Puerto Rico.”

NBA Puerto Rico 2006 will be the 23rd game organized by the NBA in Latin America since 1992, and the sixth preseason game staged in Puerto Rico. The NBA’s last game in Puerto Rico was played on October 14, 2005, when the Grizzlies defeated the Heat 101-91 at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot. Previous games on the island have featured the HEAT vs. 76ers in 2003, HEAT vs. Denver in 1993 and a two-game series between the HEAT and Atlanta in 1994. The game marks the second time that the Pistons will play in Puerto Rico and the ninth time the HEAT will play internationally. The Heat will be featured in Latin America for the seventh time.

The Puerto Rico 2006 game will be co-produced by San Juan-based Empresas Angelo Medina (EAM), one of Latin America’s top promoters of special events and concerts, including the Miss Universe Pageant. The company owns the perennial Basketball League Cangrejeros de Santurce and operates Deportes 13, which broadcasts NBA and WNBA games across Puerto Rico on channel 13.

“We are pleased to work together with the league to bring NBA basketball to Puerto Rico, where the sport has always enjoyed great success and popularity,” said Angelo Medina, President of EAM. “Hundreds of thousands of fans in Puerto Rico follow the NBA on a daily basis and this game provides them with the opportunity to watch two great teams perform live in Puerto Rico, while experiencing the excitement of the NBA first-hand.”

Summary of Games Played in Latin America:

Event	Date	Result	Notes
NBA PUERTO RICO 2005	10/14/05	Miami HEAT 91 - Memphis Grizzlies 101	Preseason
NBA PUERTO RICO 2003	10/7/03	Miami HEAT 86 - Philadelphia 76ers 79 (OT)	Preseason
NBA MEXICO 2003	10/5/03	Utah Jazz 90 - Dallas Mavericks 95	Preseason
NBA Dominican Republic 2002	10/11/02	Minnesota Timberwolves 90 - Miami HEAT 85	Preseason
NBA MÉXICO 2000	10/14/00	Philadelphia 76ers 84 - Washington Wizards 80	Preseason
NBA MÉXICO 1999	10/24/99	Golden State Warriors 117 - New Jersey Nets 91	Preseason
NBA MÉXICO 1997	12/6/97	Houston Rockets 108 - Dallas Mavericks 106	Regular season
NBA CHALLENGE 1996 (Mex.)	10/26/96	Cleveland Cavaliers 104 - Phoenix Suns 92	Preseason Tournament
		Dallas Mavericks 107 - Utah Jazz 102
	10/27/96	Utah Jazz 111 - Phoenix Suns 105
		Dallas Mavericks 88 - Cleveland Cavaliers 86	(final)
NBA CHALLENGE 1995 (Mex.)	10/28/95	San Antonio Spurs 125 - Washington Wizards 107	Preseason
	10/29/95	Detroit Pistons110 - Washington Wizards 99
NBA CHALLENGE 1994 (Mex.)	10/28/94	San Antonio Spurs 121 - Houston Rockets 112	Preseason Tournament
		Seattle SuperSonics 133 - L.A. Clippers 105
	10/29/94	Houston Rockets 111 - L.A. Clippers 103
		Seattle SuperSonics 124 - San Antonio Spurs 95	(final)
NBA PUERTO RICO 1994	10/23/94	Atlanta Hawks 104 -Miami HEAT 99	Preseason
NBA PUERTO RICO 1994	10/21/94	Miami HEAT 104 - Atlanta Hawks 99	Preseason
NBA PUERTO RICO 1993	10/30/93	Miami HEAT 109 - Denver Nuggets 102	Preseason
NBA MÉXICO 1993	10/24/93	New York Knicks 103 - Houston Rockets 93	Preseason
NBA MÉXICO 1992	10/27/92	Dallas Mavericks 104 - Houston Rockets 102	Preseason

www.nba.com/espanol