CLEVELAND, OHIO – JANUARY 02: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates after … [+]
The Cleveland Cavaliers 2023 preseason schedule is out, and it has some international flavor.
On Oct. 16, the Cavs will host Israeli team Maccabi Ra’anana in a game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. According to the team, it’s the first time the Cavs have faced an international team since facing San Lorenzo de Almagro of Argentina’s Liga Nacional de Básque in 2019. It’s the ninth time overall since 2009. Cleveland also spent parts of its preseason in Brazil ahead of the 2014-15 season.
The game against Maccabi will be one of two Cavs games this season with an international twist. In January, Cleveland will head to Paris to play the Brooklyn Nets at Accor Arena.
“We are extremely honored as an organization to showcase the Cleveland Cavaliers in Paris,” Cleveland Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman said when the Paris game was announced. “This unique opportunity will provide our players, coaches, staff and families an experience into a different culture, all while creating memories both on and off the court that will last a lifetime. We also recognize the universal appeal basketball inspires and we take great pride in our stewardship of the game. As proud representatives of the city of Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio, we look forward to establishing a personal level of engagement with our fans overseas, as well as partnering with the NBA in our collective effort to elevate basketball on the international stage.”
This is also the second year in a row that Maccabi Ra’anana has toured through the United States. Last year, they played the Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers during preseason play. They play in the Israeli second division.
Cleveland opens its preseason schedule on Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. on the road against the Atlanta Hawks before hosting the Orlando Magic on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m., hosting Maccabi on Oct. 16 and playing on the road to finish out the regular season in Indiana against the Pacers on Oct. 20.
