Arturas Karnisovas knows all too well how the Bulls brand plays overseas.
He was on the other end of it back in 1997, when Michael Jordan & Co. came over to Europe for the preseason McDonald’s Championship and put a hurting on Karnisovas and his European champion Olympiakos team by 26 points.
So of course the Bulls’ executive vice president of basketball operations was thrilled to hear the news that the franchise was returning to Europe for a regular-season game during the 2022-23 campaign, and this time Karnisovas gets to wear the red and black rather than get run over by it.
The NBA announced on Tuesday that the Bulls and Detroit Pistons will play a regular season game in Paris on Jan. 19, 2023, marking the first time the Bulls have played in Europe since that ’97 showcase.
“It is a great honor to bring Chicago Bulls basketball back to Paris for The NBA Paris Game 2023 — an event that illustrates the league’s commitment to amplifying the national and global impact of basketball,’’ Karnisovas said in a statement. “Having played several games in Paris during my career, I know how special this will be for our players, our organization, and our international fan base. We look forward to representing Chicago overseas and are grateful for the opportunity to do so.’’
In recent years, the Bulls did play preseason games in London back in 2009, and then Rio de Janeiro in 2013. They did play a regular-season game in Mexico City in 2018.
Fans can visit www.nbaevents.nba.com/paris/nba-paris for ticket presale information.
