The NBA will not hold any preseason games in the Middle East this year, marking the first time in five years the league has skipped the region. The decision comes amid the ongoing war between the United States and Iran and broader regional conflict.

While the NBA had not formally announced preseason games in Abu Dhabi this year, as it had in each of the previous four seasons, sources said the league held discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards about potentially participating. The NBA had also explored staging its first game in Doha, Qatar, though those plans were never finalized. One proposed scenario would have had two teams play one game in Doha and another in Abu Dhabi during the same trip. The Qatar Investment Authority holds a minority stake in the Wizards' parent company.

In January, the NBA and Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism announced an extension of their existing partnership, which includes preseason NBA Global Games, expanded marketing initiatives and the launch of an NBA Global Academy in the UAE capital. That partnership will continue, with future preseason games expected to return to Abu Dhabi. The league is also expected to revisit plans for Qatar eventually, though no timeline has been set given the ongoing conflict in the region.

Doha is scheduled to host the 2027 FIBA World Cup next August, and an NBA preseason game had been considered as part of the buildup to that event. The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers played a pair of preseason games in Abu Dhabi last October ahead of the 2025-26 season.

The disruption extends beyond basketball. Formula 1 announced Sunday that its previously postponed Bahrain Grand Prix will instead take place in Malaysia in October, while the series has yet to determine the status of its planned races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi later this year.