Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, May 29, 1990                   TAG: 9005290294
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

NBA SEASON WILL OPEN IN JAPAN

The Suns and the Jazz will meet for two games in Japan on Nov. 3-4, the first time an American professional sports league will hold a regular-season game outside North America, NBA Commissioner David Stern said.

"It's a prestige thing to be asked to participate," Utah general manager Tim Howells said. "There's also a spirit of wanting to do our part of furthering the goals of the NBA. This international thing is something I know the commissioner is putting a fair amount of focus on."

Suns President Jerry Colangelo said the series will help promote the game on an international level.

"We've gotten good international exposure with our victory over the Lakers," he said, "especially in France with the Laker games being telecast back to the Cannes Film Festival."

Keywords:
BASKETBALL