The NBA announced that the Utah Jazz will play a preseason game on October 8, 2004, against CSKA.  This is the former team of the team?s star forward and Russian native Andrei Kirilenko.

The game will be played at the Universal Sport Hall CSKA in Moscow and will be the first time an NBA team has played in Russia since 1988.  From July 20-31, 1988, the Atlanta Hawks became the first NBA team to play in the former Soviet Union when they toured Russia, Lithuania and the Republic of Georgia.

?I am very pleased and honored to be returning back to my native country with my NBA team, the Utah Jazz,? said Kirilenko.

Since it?s creation in 1924, CSKA has been one of the most successful clubs in Europe.

The game in Russia complements a pre-season international schedule that includes the first-ever NBA games played in China.  The Houston Rockets and Yao Ming play in Shanghai on October 14 and the Sacramento Kings play in Beijing on October 17.