Time for a Sunday roast in southeast London. The NBA Global Games return to England for the first time in seven years, bringing the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies onto a transcontinental stage.
This is the final international date of the 2025-26 season. The league played October preseason exhibitions in Abu Dhabi, Melbourne, Vancouver and Macao. There was a Mexico City game on Nov. 1, and a Berlin game between these two teams on Thursday.
How to watch Magic vs. Grizzlies (NBA London Game)
- Venue: O2 Arena — London
- Time: Noon ET, Sunday | 5 p.m. local
- TV (U.S. and U.K.): Prime Video
- Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
The game
Orlando took the first Global Games matchup Thursday in Berlin, winning 118-111 after a second-half rally. Really, though, it feels like the Magic could’ve called game once guard Anthony Black dunked on four Grizzlies at once:
ANTHONY BLACK ARE YOU KIDDING ME????
FASTBREAK DUNK OVER FOUR (!!!!) DEFENDERS TO TAKE THE LEAD 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GVlzzPeB0l
— NBA (@NBA) January 15, 2026
Black finished with 21 points off an efficient 13 shots. The No. 6 pick in the 2023 draft averaged just 4.6 points per game as a rookie and 9.4 last season. His 2025-26 mark is boosted to 15.8. Black’s versatile teammate Paolo Banchero had a get-right game at 26 points on 9-of-16 from the field, plus 13 rebounds, four assists and four steals. And Orlando’s three members of the German national team combined to score 33 in Berlin — Franz Wagner with 18, Moritz Wagner with seven and Tristan da Silva with eight.
Defensive anchor Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 30 points, and rising playmaker Cam Spencer had 11 assists to a sole turnover. But the Grizzlies were done in by a minus-14 third quarter and a 19-to-7 differential on the offensive glass.
Orlando enters the weekend at 23-18. Jamahl Mosley’s team is rated 15th on offense, 11th on defense and 16th in pace. Memphis is 17-23 under Tuomas Iisalo. His Grizz are 24th in offensive rating and 13th in defensive rating, playing with the 11th-fastest pace.
The latest on Ja Morant
Ja Morant was conspicuously absent Thursday. Memphis’ star point guard hasn’t played since Jan. 2 due to a calf injury. He made the trip to Germany with the team, and told reporters that he would “hopefully” play in the Global Games. Hours after that media availability, the Grizzlies ruled Morant out for Berlin.
“I still am holding out hope he’ll be able to play when we are in London on Sunday. So yes, I’m disappointed he’s not on the floor tonight, but I understand he’s injured,” commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday.
As trade rumors swirl and jersey-swap photo edits hit timelines, the two-time All-Star is still listed as day to day. For those reading tea leaves (or Instagram feeds), Morant was vibing as he went through a full practice Saturday. Soon after, Iisalo told reporters there was a “good chance” Morant would play Sunday.
The broadcast
Prime Video has the streaming exclusive for national audiences. The Berlin game put established broadcaster Michael Grady on play-by-play and WNBA legend Candace Parker in analysis, with JayDee Dyer as the sideline reporter. Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash were on site for Thursday’s Prime studio programming.
The Sunday halftime show is held down by FLO, the London-based R&B trio.
The festivities
First, here’s a photo of Shaquille O’Neal by Big Ben. Shaq and his Magic made their inaugural trip to London for a preseason matchup with the Atlanta Hawks in 1993.
The @OrlandoMagic returning to London just feels right 🇬🇧
Grizzlies VS Magic. The 02 Arena. January 18, 2026 📆 pic.twitter.com/gH8TBtiefI
— NBA UK (@NBAUK) August 3, 2025
Current Magic players tried local delicacies, like jelly babies, Turkish delight and “Dairy Milk Fingers.”
Both squads separately took a team photo on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Magic’s was crashed by a little dog wearing a red coat.
Morant seemed to be all smiles in the Grizzlies’ photo, while GG Jackson tried out the parlance:
On Saturday, Memphis players visited Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and watched the English Premier League match between Spurs and West Ham United.
The histories
There have been nine NBA scrimmage and preseason events in the U.K., dating back to that Magic-Hawks meeting in 1993. There have also been nine previous regular-season games in London, all at the O2 Arena:
- March 4, 2011: New Jersey Nets 116, Toronto Raptors 103
- March 5, 2011: New Jersey Nets 137, Toronto Raptors 136 (3OT)
- Jan. 17, 2013: New York Knicks 102, Detroit Pistons 87
- Jan. 16, 2014: Brooklyn Nets 127, Atlanta Hawks 110
- Jan. 15, 2015: Milwaukee Bucks 95, New York Knicks 79
- Jan. 14, 2016: Toronto Raptors 106, Orlando Magic 103 (OT)
- Jan. 12, 2017: Denver Nuggets 140, Indiana Pacers 112
- Jan. 11, 2018: Boston Celtics 114, Philadelphia 76ers 103
- Jan. 17, 2019: Washington Wizards 101, New York Knicks 100
The high scorer in NBA London action is … Air Bargs. Yup, Andrea Bargnani put up 35 points in that 2011 triple-overtime marathon.
In 2027, the NBA will stage its first regular-season game in Manchester. October 2027 has also been circled as a “realistic target” for the start of the NBA’s European league. Both London and Manchester have been mentioned as possible locations for teams in the new league.
NBA career scoring leaders born in the U.K.
- Ben Gordon (2005-15): 11,084 points
- James Donaldson (1981-95): 8,203 points
- OG Anunoby (2018-present): 6,846 points and counting
- Kelenna Azubuike (2007-12): 2,178 points
- Nikola Jović (2023-present): 1,187 points and counting
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