The morning of this Tuesday (13.10) was marked by the assembly of the HSBC Arena for the NBA Global Games Rio 2015, an event that will bring together the Orlando Magic and Flamengo teams for a 2015/2016 pre-season game. The match will take place next Saturday (17.10), at 18 pm, at the Barra da Tijuca gymnasium. You can still buy your ticket to the NBA Global Games. Fan club members receive a 10% discount on ticket prices and receive perks when purchasing tickets. If you're not yet part of the Nação Rubro-Negra project, click here and sign up.

In addition to Flamengo's Vice President of Olympic Sports, Alexandre Póvoa, and Executive Director of Olympic Sports, Marcelo Vido, all of the Mais Querido athletes and coaching staff were present at the HSBC Arena for the court setup. Arnon de Mello, Vice President and Executive Director of the NBA in Brazil, was also on hand to provide further details on the final stages of this mega-event's operations. Following the success of its first two years, it will once again offer an authentic NBA experience to Brazilians who love the orange ball.

Pride of the Nation veterans Marquinhos and Marcelinho Machado, along with coach José Neto, are already getting into the spirit of the match. The players, who faced the Orlando Magic in the 2014/2015 preseason away from home, spoke about their expectations of experiencing the same again in front of their fans.

"It's the first time I've seen a court being set up, and I think the atmosphere leading up to the game is really cool. I'm really looking forward to Saturday and I miss the red-and-black fans. Our team has been training hard, and we have big goals for this season. This home match, with a packed Arena and against a great opponent, will be a great test for our team and will help us start the season well," said Marquinhos.

Marcelinho, captain of FlaBasquete, spoke about the team's expectations and the importance of playing against an NBA team.

"Our fans showed up in Orlando in good numbers, but here it will be different. This arena brings back great memories, and that counts for a lot when it comes to playing. We have the opportunity to once again make our mark on Flamengo's history, because a Brazilian team playing an NBA team here in Brazil is an unprecedented feat. We'll go in strong. We need to play a very intelligent game to surprise them here. I try to reassure my teammates based on my experience. Our team is still developing, we have players coming up, and it takes time for the team to get to know each other well on the court. I hope we play a great game and build on this experience with a victory," he declared.

José Neto, commander of the red-black team, spoke about the happiness of having this experience.

"The opportunity we have to play this game, which is the first time in the history of Brazilian basketball, against an NBA team in an official preseason and in Brazil, is something we can't treat as just another one. Flamengo's greatness, not only here, but in basketball as it's being treated, is worthy of us putting on a good performance. We want to do justice to the club's greatness against a great team, which is the Orlando Magic," he concluded.

The Clube de Regatas do Flamengo adult basketball team receives direct funding from its sponsors – SKY, Estácio, and Peugeot – as well as investments from Tim through the State Sports Incentive Law/State Secretariat of Sports, Leisure, and Youth (ICMS). You can also contribute to the development of new FlaBasquete athletes by becoming a Red-Black Guardian Angel. Simply transfer up to 6% of your income tax due and receive your contribution back in your income tax refund. The program will be back on air soon.