Sixers to host Chinese team in preseason matchup in October
Former Sixers reserve Marreese Speights plays for the Guangzhou Loong Lions.
The 76ers will entertain the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association on Oct. 8 in a preseason game at the Wells Fargo Center.
This matchup comes a year after the Sixers played two preseason games against the Dallas Mavericks in Shanghai and Shenzhen, China.
“Following our games in Shanghai and Shenzhen last fall, we continue to be inspired by the millions of passionate 76ers fans in China,” Sixers CEO Scott O’Neil said in a statement. “This preseason game against the Guangzhou Loong Lions is another example of our continued efforts to connect and engage with the dedicated and passionate basketball fans in China.”
This will mark the third consecutive preseason that the Loong Lions will face an NBA team. They played the Washington Wizards in the previous two preseasons.
Former Sixers reserve Marreese Speights is one of the Chinese team’s best players. The 6-foot-10, 256-pounder signed with the team in July 2018 after a 10-year NBA career with six teams. The Sixers selected him with the 16th overall pick of the 2008 draft
The 31-year-old looked like he was still capable of playing in the NBA while scoring 41 points in the Loong Lions’ preseason game against Wizards on Oct. 12, 2018.
The Sixers finished this past season with a 51-31 record and advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals. They lost to the eventual NBA champion Toronto Raptors. The game was decided by Kawhi Leonard’s four-bounce, buzzer-beating basket in Game 7.
The Sixers and the Milwaukee Bucks are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference this season.