NBA in London 2018: Stars out in force for Boston Celtics vs Philadelphia 76ers
Star names descended on The O2 Arena on Thursday night as NBA action returned to London with Boston Celtics vs the Philadelphia 76ers.
Arsenal quintet Hector Bellerin, Nacho Monreal, Rob Holding, Olivier Giroud and Shkodran Mustafi were joined by the likes of Chelsea stars Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard, with Manchester City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling also at The O2.
But fans were not limited to current Premier League stars, with Manchester United's iconic former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack also among the crowd along with Olympic legend Sir Bradley Wiggins.
Attendees from outside the sporting world included comedian and actor Jack Whitehall, actress Naomie Harris, rapper Tinie Tempah, actor Will Poulter, model Xenia Tchoumi and more.
Fans flooded into the British capital from across Europe, excited at the prospect of the bright young sides going head to head.
The Celtics, led by free agent acquisition Kyrie Irving, have been the surprise story of the season, recovering from losing star player Gordon Hayward five minutes into the campaign to lead the Eastern Conference with a 33-10 record.
They faced the 19-19 76ers, who are battling for the playoff spots behind the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, and come into the game on a run of four consecutive wins.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
