76ers, Mavs to play preseason in China

NEW YORK — Dirk Nowitzki’s 21st NBA season will include a trip in China.

His Dallas Mavericks will play a pair of preseason games against the Philadelphia 76ers there, 10 years after Nowitzki played for Germany in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He will become the first player in NBA history to play 21 seasons with the same franchise.

The league announced Tuesday that the Mavericks and 76ers will meet Oct. 5 in Shanghai and then Oct. 8 in Shenzhen.

The 76ers, who are back in the playoffs this season, have a large international fan base. They are led by Joel Embiid, a native of Cameroon, and Australian rookie Ben Simmons. Dallas and Philadelphia both will be playing in China for the first time. suing “Uninterrupted,” which was co-founded by James with business partner Maverick Carter, and Cree Nix for use of a “Shop Talk,” concept.

The Detroit-based company claims it shared the idea with Nix from 2014 to 2016, identifying her as an employee of “Uninterrupted.”

Last year, “Uninterrupted” aired “The Shop,” where James and others talk in a barber shop.

Alabama recently released a trailer for “Shop Talk” that shows coach Nick Saban and former Crimson Tide star wide receiver Julio Jones talking in a barber shop. Earlier this month, “Uninterrupted” sent a letter to Alabama, citing concerns over copyright infringement and intellectual property.