Move Back
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A Mexican lucha libre fighter wears a Sacramento Kings jersey and tries shooting layups during an NBA practice in Mexico City on Dec. 2. (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)![NBA_Oaxaca_Latino_5a]()
The basketball court in San Baltazar is alongside the town's church. This is Leo Hernandez's home court. (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)![NBA_Oaxaca_Latino_13]()
Celtics guard Avery Bradley talks to media during the Celtics practice session in Mexico City on Dec. 2. Bradley, who played college basketball at the University of Texas explained that playing in Mexico, “[is] a great opportunity. Not just for our team but for the NBA.” (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)![NBA_Oaxaca_Latino_3]()
A team of players from Matatlan, Oaxaca fights its way to victory in a basketball tournament. (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)![NBA_Oaxaca_Latino_2]()
Men in cowboy hats watch a basketball game in the rugged mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)![NBA_Oaxaca_Latino_8]()
Leo Hernandez with his family at his house in San Baltazar. (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)![NBA_Oaxaca_Latino_11]()
NBA star Rajon Rondo, now a guard for the Sacramento Kings, prepares to play his former team, the Boston Celtics during a Dec. 3, 2015 regular season NBA game at Arena Ciudad de Mexico. (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)![NBA_Oaxaca_Latino_18]()
The Boston Celtics run through warm-up drills during a practice session in Mexico City on December 2. The Celtics' head coach Brad Stevens said, “We’re thrilled to have an NBA game here in Mexico City. I like getting the chance to play here.” (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)![NBA_Oaxaca_Latino_5]()
After playing several pickup basketball games at the court in San Baltazar, Oaxaca, Leo Hernandez (right) practices layups. (Photo: Nathaniel Parish Flannery/Fox News Latino)The NBA comes back to Mexico, a surprising hotbed of hoops fans
While the NBA Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings prepare to face-off in Mexico City, small villages in southern Mexico hold basketball tournaments at festivals, offering prizes that range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars to the winning team. But will the two fan bases ever meet?
Move Forward
- The NBA comes back to Mexico, a surprising hotbed of hoops fans
