MEXICO CITY _ When the Mavericks played a pair of 1996 preseason games in Mexico City's dilapidated Sports Palace, tickets cost 40 pesos (about $5.33) and yours truly had to out-elbow three reporters for the only phone line from which to file our stories.
That was then. This is now.
The Mavericks landed Wednesday afternoon in the capital of a country that now boasts an estimated 19.7 million NBA fans, up from 2017's estimated 16.5 million.
This week, Mexico City opened the country's first NBA store. And when the Mavericks and Detroit Pistons play here on Thursday night, they will do so in the 7-year-old, state-of-the-art Arena Ciudad de Mexico.
As of Wednesday, ticket prices for Thursday's game, as well as Saturday's San Antonio-Phoenix game, ranged from 409 pesos ($21.29) to 8,030 pesos ($418).
"We are so delighted and honored to have the Mavericks playing here," said Raul Zarraga, vice president and managing director of NBA Mexico, which established a Mexico City office in 2008. "We understand that teams have to travel here and we know Dallas is having such a great season.
"I'm 100% sure that people in Mexico will have a great moment, seeing the Mavericks playing here."
Zarraga fondly recalls the Mavericks' last visit here, a 113-108 victory over Phoenix on Jan. 12, 2017, when fans clamored to have photos taken with Mavericks owner and Shark Tank star Mark Cuban.
"People were really cheering for the Mavs," he said. "I'm sure the same thing will happen Thursday, especially with the current level of play the Mavs are having � and of course Barea, Porzingis and Luka Doncic."
Zarraga of course is referring to the Mavericks' fluent Spanish-speakers, J.J. Barea, Kristaps Porzingis and NBA Most Valuable Player candidate Doncic.
It matters not that Barea was born in Puerto Rico, Porzingis in Latvia and Doncic in Slovenia. Their Spanish-speaking abilities resonate with fans throughout Latin America, creating increased exposure for the Mavericks franchise.
After the Mavericks' Tuesday practice in Dallas, Barea and Porzingis answered reporters' questions in both English and Spanish.
"Definitely on social media, I get a lot of messages in Spanish," said Porzingis, who learned to speak Spanish in "six or seven months" after moving to Spain at age 15 to play professionally. "A lot of times people find out that I speak Spanish because I listen to Spanish music, Latin rap or whatever."
