Five NBA pros to play in exhibition game at SFU next month
While the NBA might not currently have a team in BC, it isn’t stopping a few players in the league from making a visit to the province.
Next month, the Ball Don’t Stop Pro-Am Classic will be taking place at Simon Fraser University, with professional basketball players from the NBA, G League, and CEBL competing alongside players from European leagues as part of the showcase.
At least five NBA players — Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics), Malachi Flynn (Toronto Raptors), De’Anthony Melton (Philadelphia 76ers), Terence Davis (Sacramento Kings), and two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas — are all expected to take part in the game.
Tickets are $40 and available at this link, with the event taking place on Sunday, August 20 and expected to run from 4 to 9 pm.
Pritchard, Melton, and Davis will also be hosting a basketball camp for boys and girls aged 6 to 16 the same weekend at SFU, which includes a ticket to the showcase as well as signed memorabilia and photos with the players to go along with six hours of basketball instruction over the two days.
For those who haven’t seen highlights of pro-am games taking place, they’re usually highlighted by fast-paced offence and high-flying dunks, three-pointers, and other highlight reel moves in a packed gym smaller than NBA stars are used to competing in.
Ball Don’t Stop, a podcast hosted by Vancouver-based basketball fan Ekam Nagra, has been running pro-am games in both Vancouver and Toronto since 2016.
This year’s Toronto edition will be taking place on August 3 at Toronto’s Pan Am Centre, the host of the CEBL’s Scarborough Shooting Stars franchise. At last year’s event in Toronto, Flynn and Scottie Barnes combined for 88 points in front of a sold-out crowd.
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