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CNN International: Residents in Evacuation Zones Warned Storm Could Kill Them if They Don't Leave; Iran FM: We are Ready for Any Scenario, Our Armed Forces Are Ready; Israeli PM Urges People of Lebanon to Stand Up to Hezbollah; Florida Bracing for "Catastrophic" Hurricane Milton; NBA Comes to Abu Dhabi for Preseason Basketball. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired October 09, 2024 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Florida, you can see the huge storm on the left of your screen and the scene from St. Petersburg on the

right, a potential ground zero for landfall. It is 09:00 a.m. there in Florida. It's 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. Hello and a very warm welcome

to "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson.

We will have all the very latest on the conflict in the Middle East in a few minutes, but I do want to begin with a detailed update on that storm,

the first impacts from this extremely dangerous hurricane already being felt as Milton's outer bands approach Florida.

Milton currently a powerful Category 4 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, as you can see, set to make landfall in Central Florida late today, Wednesday

or early Thursday. At that intensity, the storm will expand in size, and forecasters are warning, it will cause catastrophic damage.

There are new urgent warnings from officials on Florida's West Coast to get out now. Here's what the Sheriff of Hillsborough County, which includes

Tampa, said a bit earlier on CNN. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAD CHRONISTER, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SHERIFF: This is the 11th hour. If you're an evacuation zone, the time to get out is now. Here's my biggest

fear, when those winds become sustained more than 40 miles per hour and it's too safe to go out to those emergency calls for help that individual,

I wonder how he's going to feel if he needs help, and helps not coming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, most people are heeding the warnings, backing up highways as they flee. One problem, though, is gas. One in five gas stations in the

state now run out of fuel. Let's get you on the ground. Carlos Suarez is in Fort Myers in Florida. And what is the situation there right now as the

hurricane approaches?

CARLOS SUAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, good morning. So, the biggest concern for the folks that live in Southwest Florida at this hour

is the flooding that we're going to see because of this hurricane. We are long we're live right now along the Caloosahatchee River. It is a river

that connects Lake Okeechobee in the central part of Florida out into the Gulf of Mexico.

And the reason we picked this location here in Fort Myers is because two years ago, when Hurricane Ian made a direct landfall here. More than 10

feet of storm surge swept in from the river out into the mainland, part of Fort Myers, just about everything that you're looking at here behind me two

years ago was flooded, was damaged, if not destroyed, by hurricane Ian.

That was a direct hit. Now, if this storm, if Milton, continues on the path that it is on, it is going to make landfall to the north of us. And so even

though that storm is still a little bit to the north of where we are right now, or where we expect it to be, we're still looking at a storm surge out

here of at least 8 to 12 feet of storm surge.

So, you're talking about a number that's more or less in line, if not greater than hurricane Ian two years ago. So, you can imagine how what

happened here just two years ago, most likely will take place again. And part of the reason why this storm surge, Becky, happens is because the

river out here ends up being a funnel for all of this water.

You've got the storm surge coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. You've got all of the rainfall that's going to hit the area over the next 12 to 18

hours. And then when you add in high tide, when all those three things come together, the water has nowhere to go. It literally cannot be pushed in.

It cannot be pushed up river. It cannot go back out into the Gulf. And so, what ends up happening is it just pushes all the way in. Yesterday, we were

live in downtown Fort Myers, where we spoke to business owners and residents there who told us, look, we expect to flood.

And so, they were putting out sandbags, they were putting a plywood all in an effort to try to put themselves in a position where perhaps they can

keep some of this water out. One final note for me, Becky, yesterday, I drove around other parts of Lee County that were devastated, really

destroyed by a hurricane Ian.

I was on Fort Myers Beach, and I can tell you, it was pretty much a ghost town. There were not many folks out there, in large part because a

mandatory evacuation order has been in place for the last couple of days, and then last night, at 10 o'clock, a curfew went into effect, and that

curfew is now 24 hours, Becky.

[09:05:00]

ANDERSON: So, it does sound as if those officials who have been urging people too, either evacuate or ensure that they are safe. Those warnings

are being heeded mostly, and let's hope that people are safe. Thank you for the time being, we will get back to our reporting on this storm, of course,

as we move through the next couple of hours.

Well, Israel's Prime Minister warns that Lebanon could fall into the abyss of a long war similar to Gaza. This as his country expands its fight

against Hezbollah militants there. Benjamin Netanyahu is due to speak with U.S. President Joe Biden shortly for their first conversation in seven

weeks. Here's his message for the Lebanese.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We've degraded Hezbollah's capabilities. We took out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah

himself and as well as replacement. And the replacement of his replacement. Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it's been for many, many years.

Now, you the Lebanese people, you stand at a significant crossroads. It is your choice. You can now take back your country. You can return it to a

path of peace and prosperity.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, I want to note, CNN has not confirmed that Israel has killed Hassan Nasrallah's possible successor. CNN's Jeremy Diamond is in

Tel Aviv. And Jeremy, we know now that there is a call scheduled between Netanyahu and Biden. This after seven weeks without speaking, Joe Biden

conceded that they hadn't spoken recently since August.

So, they are finally going to break their silence. Is it clear what that conversation will be about and why now?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is going to be a very significant call coming at a critical moment, and I think it's quite clear

that the focus of the call will be what Israel's retaliation against Iran will actually look like as the Israeli government is still deliberating on

exactly how far they will go as they prepare a military response to that barrage of some nearly 200 ballistic missiles fired by Iran last week.

The -- and we know, of course, that there is disagreement, as there so frequently has been, between the Israeli government and the U.S. government

over the scale of that response. Israel has said, as the Israeli Defense Minister told me just a couple of days ago, that everything is on the

table, and that includes strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities as well as its strategic oil reserves and other potential targets as well.

President Biden has made very clear publicly that he opposes a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, and he has also sought to advise the Israeli

government against striking Iranian oil targets as well. And so, this call is going to seek to get some kind of alignment between these two sides,

whether or not that alignment can actually be achieved is another question.

We know that the Israeli Prime Minister wanted to have this conversation himself. The Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant was scheduled to arrive

in Washington today to meet with U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, but Netanyahu calling that trip off and instead scheduling a call with

President Biden himself.

ANDERSON: Let's go back to where we started here, and that message from Benjamin Netanyahu to the Lebanese, very specifically, but also one

assumes, a message in English to the wider kind of region and elsewhere around the world, warning the Lebanese that they could fall into the abyss

of a long war similar to Gaza.

This as his country expands its fight against Hezbollah militants there in Lebanon. What do we know about what is going on in Lebanon at present? We

know the fighting continues, from the IDF perspective, what are we being told and what are we observing in Lebanon?

DIAMOND: Well, what we're observing is that the Israeli military has been advancing into Southern Lebanon now on at least three different axes. They

started off in the kind of northeastern part of the border, as far as from Israel's perspective. They then moved to a point further west, and then to

another point even further west of that.

And the Israeli military, we saw yesterday that there was a video of Israeli soldiers hoisting a flag in the Lebanese village of Maroun El Ras.

And the Israeli military confirming that it had operational control of what they described as a Hezbollah combat compound in that very village.

An Israeli Energy Minister claiming that Israel was actually occupying that Lebanese village, which would be a first in this conflict so far.

[09:10:00]

What is clear, though, is that the military pressure that is being brought to bear on Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon, combined with the strikes on

Beirut's southern capital, forgive me, the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital of Beirut are being done in conjunction with some of this rhetoric

that we're hearing from the Israeli Prime Minister.

And that's because it seems that Israel is engaged in a strategy that is seeking to combine military pressure with domestic political pressure on

Hezbollah as well. And that is very much the lens through which I think we should see Netanyahu's words, in addition to it clearly being a threat to

bring mass destruction effectively to Lebanon.

He is also seeking to bring more pressure to bear internally within Lebanon on Hezbollah in terms of civilian pressure, but also pressure from other

political factions in Lebanon, in the hopes that Hezbollah will ultimately agree to withdrawing its troops some 30 kilometers north of the Lebanese

border, and of course, stopping its firing of rockets on Northern Israel.

Hezbollah has indicated some willingness to engage in ceasefire negotiations that was new as of a couple of days ago, but whether or not

they would actually agree to kind of indefinite suspension of hostilities is another question altogether.

ANDERSON: There's a lot going on. It's always good to have you. Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv. Thank you, sir. Well, Iran's President accusing the

U.S. and Europe of double standards for their ongoing support of Israel. Speaking on Tehran in Tehran, sorry, on Tuesday, the president said Israel

was a quote, barbaric government which is refusing to follow the rules of war by indiscriminately attacking women, children and the elderly.

Well, this comes as Iran's Foreign Minister said Tuesday that any strike on Iran's infrastructure would be met with a stronger retaliation. Abbas

Araqchi is now visiting Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region, aiming, he says, to prevent the quote crimes of Israel in both Lebanon and

Gaza.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Iran's capital, Tehran, and he joins us now. Look, I think it's really important that we assess what we believe is going

on here. Iran's Foreign Minister traveling in the Gulf, very specifically to Saudi Arabia today, of course, a not a partner, not a friend

necessarily, of Iran, but certainly closer than they have been over the past decade.

Saudi Arabia, of course, a key ally of the United States. Can we just break down what we understand to be the significance of this trip and the

meeting?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it's highly significant, Becky, that Abbas Araqchi, the Foreign Minister of

Iran is in Riyadh today to meet today with the Saudi officials. Because, of course, one of the things that the Iranians are trying to do is they're

trying to get Arab nations on their side against Israel.

And I think a lot of this comes back down to the supreme leader last Friday, leading Friday prayers, of course, in those Friday prayers,

eulogizing the slain Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, who was very close to Iran's Supreme Leader. And in that speech here we're called that the

supreme leader called for nations in this region, in the Middle East to unite, as he put it, in support of the Palestinians.

Of course, in support as of Lebanon, as he put it as well. But then also, of course, against Israel and the United States. I think one of the quotes

of the supreme leader in that speech that he gave here saying that the enemies of the of Iran are also the enemies of the Palestinians, the

enemies of Jordan, the enemies of Saudi Arabia and other and Iraq and other nations as well.

So, I think the newfound diplomacy and the shuttle diplomacy that we're essentially seeing from the foreign minister, but also from the President

Iran, a lot of that goes back to that at the same time. Of course, you do have Israel's response to that, massive missile attacks of the Iranians

launched last week against targets inside Israel.

That still is very much looming. You can feel on the streets here that there are some people who are concerned that that could lead to a wider

conflict. You also do, though, have a lot of defiance here on the part of the Iranians, and that threat to then hit back at Israel very hard. I was

able to speak today to the speaker of the committee for national security and foreign relations of the Iranian parliament, and here's what he had to

say about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EBRAHIM REZAEI, IRANIAN SHURA COUNCIL'S NATIONAL SECURITY AND FOREIGN POLICY COMMITTEE: We will certainly respond to Israel. In a most recent

attack on Israel, we targeted only military sites. Naturally, there are other targets that we could hit, and we have the capability to do so. We

have so many missiles that we can, one by one hit these targets.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So, there you have some strong words coming from Iranian politicians, coming, of course, from the Iranian military and the Iranian

religious leadership as well. At the same time, the Iranians continue to say that they don't want escalation. In fact, they want de-escalation here

for this region, Becky.

[09:15:00]

ANDERSON: What do they believe, genuinely believe, at this point, is the next move by Israel? What's the thinking there?

PLEITGEN: Well, I think for them, it's quite difficult to say. I think that they are bracing for many different options. And I think one of the things

that we always that we always need to keep in mind with all of that, Becky, is that the unit of the Revolutionary Guard, of the Islamic Revolutionary

Guard Corps that launched that missile attack against those targets in Israel.

That's the same unit, the aerospace forces that are also responsible for air defense here in that country. So that unit, no doubt, at this point in

time, will be on high alert. I think they've already said some of the things that they fear the Israelis could try and strike, like, for

instance, critical infrastructure, for instance, the oil and gas installations, a lot of which, of course, are in the Persian Gulf area, but

then also in areas near the border with Iraq as well.

And then, of course, there is the fear that the Israelis might try and strike some of the nuclear installations here in this country. Certainly,

the Iranians are bracing for all that. They certainly are preparing for all that, but at the same time, they are threatening that a response will be

met with an even tougher response on their part.

And of course, with that, all of that brings the further fear of a possible escalation here in this entire region, and possibly in the end, the United

States and Iran facing off against one another. And certainly, the Iranians have said that they do not have any interest in things getting that far,

Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you there. Thank you, sir. Fred Pleitgen, of course, is there in Tehran in Iran. Very important for us to have a dateline on

that story, later this hour. Vice President Kamala Harris says, unlike her opponent, she is ready to lead and build up Americans when facing crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's profound and it is the height of irresponsibility and frankly, callousness.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.

HARRIS: So, lives are literally at stake right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, could the responses to back-to-back major hurricanes, help determine the outcome of the U.S. election? More on that is after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Israel's Energy Minister says IDF soldiers have occupied a village in Southern Lebanon, as Israel continues what it calls limited

ground incursions in the region. A video circulating on social media shows Israeli troops raising their flag in this village. On Tuesday, Mr.

Netanyahu addressed the people of Lebanon directly, urging them to stand up to Hezbollah and take their country back, or potentially be caught in the

crossfire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU: We've decided to do whatever is necessary to return our people safely to their homes.

[09:20:00]

Israel has a right to defend itself. Israel also has a right to win, and Israel will win. You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls

into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza. It doesn't have to be that way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: That's Benjamin Netanyahu. Joining us now is Middle East expert and good friend of this show. Firas Maksad, it's always good to have you.

Thank you, sir. The video put out by Netanyahu very similar to ones that he put out for Iran and for Gaza, it is notably in English. Who is he really

speaking to? Who's his audience?

FIRAS MAKSAD, SENIOR FELLOW OF MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: Well, Becky, let me start out, if I may, by pointing out to discuss the flag incident, which

was a very highly inflammable incident yesterday where the Israelis raised their flag on Lebanese territory in that village of Maroun El Ras. This is

not a flag that belongs on that land.

And if anybody is trying to undermine Hezbollah's popularity in Lebanon and amongst its support base, that's not the way to go about it. It's exactly

how you breathe air into the lungs of Hezbollah and its supporters who do not want to see Lebanese land occupied by Israel.

And of course, this was then followed by the speech of Bibi Netanyahu, ostensibly addressed to the Lebanese people. There is no Lebanese as anti-

Iranian or anti Hezbollah as they can be that wants to be seen as taking their guidelines and points from Bibi Netanyahu. That is only

counterproductive.

And so, Bibi is better off talking to his own audiences than trying to address the Lebanese in the way that would only backfire and only inflame

and strengthen Hezbollah's influence in that country.

ANDERSON: But that was my point to a certain extent. He knows that his team knows that. So again, who was that really addressed to, do you think?

What's your assessment here?

MAKSAD: Yeah, I mean, Benjamin Netanyahu is posturing for a domestic audience. Very clearly. He's riding high in the polls right now. He's done

quite a bit to reassemble his image as Mr. Security after the very significant blow that it was dealt on October 7th after the Hamas attacks.

And this is purely for domestic consumption, even though it is ostensibly meant for a Lebanese audience, if Netanyahu continues to go down that path.

And this is, you know, of great irony here. But it is also common that political extremes in either direction, feed off each other in politics.

But if Bibi Netanyahu continues to address the Lebanese the way that he is addressing them, to raise the Israeli flag where it does not belong, then

he will only prove to be the yen to Hezbollah's yen.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

MAKSAD: They will only compete and feed off each other.

ANDERSON: He is scheduled to talk to Joe Biden for the first time in some seven weeks, and clearly, that call, one assumes, will be targeted at what

Israel is likely to do next? What its targets in Iran will be, if indeed it is preparing to hit that country? How do you assess what is going on

between Washington and Israel at this point?

MAKSAD: Well, I mean, it couldn't be any clearer, Becky, when Benjamin Netanyahu, on the eve of his defense minister's visit to Washington D.C.,

unilaterally cancels that visit on the premise that he is expecting a phone call from the President of the United States before he can allow for that.

That is not an affront to his defense minister. And this is not just domestic Israeli squabbling. This is an offense to the President of the

United States. Now my understanding is that President Biden will oblige and there will be a phone call, but it is a very telling example of the status

of the relationship.

And how little regard right now Netanyahu has for President of the United States and an administration that are essentially a lame duck until we get

to the November 5th elections and then the swearing in of a new president on January 20th. And that translates to a lot of leeway for Netanyahu to do

as he wants, not only in Lebanon, but also in terms of that much anticipated response against Iran.

ANDERSON: Well, the Iranian Foreign Minister traveling around this region where I am, he's now in Saudi Arabia, and said he plans to visit other

capitals. What do you see as the Iranian goal from these talks? And what is the message as he moves around this region?

[09:25:00]

MAKSAD: Yes, Iran has a long track record of wanting to showcase itself and its diplomacy as being one that is supported by others in the region versus

the U.S., which is, you know, portrays as a foreign intruder. And so, they like to bask in that limelight and also, they are extremely concerned.

I mean, Iran right now is in a tough position. It really never wanted to see itself in a direct confrontation with Israel. Arguably, it was baited

into one. And so, to the extent that those meetings can result in some kind of back-channel diplomacy to de-escalate, they will find that as useful.

The Saudis and others in the Gulf obviously very concerned about bull back against their oil installations as pro-Iran militias and groups in the

region threaten those installations should Israel attack Iran's energy installations. So, there's a lot of regional diplomacy to de-escalate, but

at this point it doesn't amount to much and everybody's anticipating that response.

ANDERSON: I do want to close with this. Vice President Kamala Harris in a "60 Minutes" interview yesterday spoke about Iran. Just have a listen to

this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: An obvious one in mind, which is Iran. Iran has American blood on their hands. OK. This, this attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles. What

we need to do, to ensure that Iran never achieves the ability to be a nuclear power, that is one of my highest priorities.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: She described Iran as U.S.'s greatest adversary. What do you make of her comments?

MAKSAD: Well, that was very interesting and an unexpected response given great power competition and U.S. priorities of pushing back against Russia

and Europe and Ukraine, but also China. I think what that tells us is that Iran is now very much part of that great power competition dynamic.

Particularly as Iran becomes a major supplier of Russia that enables its war in Ukraine, let alone the challenge that it poses to the region of

itself. But also, the global economy through its interception of shipping, global shipping lanes through the Houthis in Yemen and the potential for,

you know, energy supplies to be undermined and in a way that damages the global economy and the U.S. economy.

So, I think these issues are at the forefront of Kamala Harris' mind at this point, and it's very telling to respond in that way.

ANDERSON: Yeah, it's a tough one for -- as the Democratic candidate, isn't it? Because when you stack up size of military, size of the economy, you

know, state of the economy in Iran, you're not really going to square that with the size of China as, you know, adversary, the size of Russia as an

adversary.

And, you know, perhaps, you know, and to your point, I mean, there are some sort of key messages there, but it does sound very, very hawkish, you know,

coming from a Democratic presidential contender. But I guess with 28 days to go before the election, there is also some positioning and politics

involved in that answer perhaps.

But it's good to have you for us. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much indeed. It is a particularly worrying time at present. It couldn't be more

worrying. We sit in this region of the Gulf and it's important that we have voices like Firas is on to really give us a steer about where we are and

where we are headed potentially next. We are back after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World". Time here is half past 5 or just afterwards. Back to

hurricane Milton for you now, the forecast is that it will make landfall in Central Florida overnight, with forecasters warning of catastrophic damage.

I have to say, Milton churning towards Florida, a Category 4 intensity with its outer bands already starting to impact parts of South Florida.

Meteorologist Derek Van Dam tracking the hurricane for us standing by. And what have you got, sir?

DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, Becky, so we're about 18 hours or so from one of the most devastating, potentially devastating hurricanes to

impact Western Central Florida, and hurricane hunters are currently flying through the eye of the storm to gather that very crucial information in

these moments before landfall.

This is what they found, a slight weakening trend in hurricane Milton. But even though it is a Category 4 from a Category 5, we expect storm surge to

be consistent with Category 5 status because of the amount of energy that this storm has enacted on the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, pushing up the water

into this very vulnerable coastline.

We're a matter of hours before we start experiencing the tropical storm force winds, by the way, which will close the bridges and evacuation routes

for these areas. So, the window is narrowing down to next to nothing for people to who decided, hey, maybe I'll ride this one out, but made a last-

minute decision that is narrowly, narrowly going away.

Category 4 hurricane at landfall, according to the official forecast from the National Hurricane Center, of course, that's overnight tonight, late

tonight or early Thursday morning. But the game of miles here really because the forecast track is dependent on who gets that right front

quadrant, the most powerful part of a hurricane, with the storm surge being the direct impacts.

And what we've picked up on is a lowering of the storm surge numbers in Tampa Bay, but still eclipsing record levels from Helene two weeks ago,

with the greatest surge impacts across Sarasota County, 10 to 15 feet. If we believe this one model, European model, this actually is a worst-case

scenario for Tampa Bay.

Regardless, this won't be just a coastal impact storm with devastating winds. It will stretch across the entire Florida peninsula, and we are

already feeling its effects. The eye clearly visible on our radar, and there's the winds picking up with the outer bands spinning up tornadoes.

There's a tornado watch in effect through 09:00 p.m. tonight, a few warnings on going across Miami-Dade County, and that threat will only

increase through the course of the day today, along with the flash flood potential, two to three months' worth of rain will fall from the sky,

Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, it's only what a couple of weeks ago that we were looking at a map and seeing a huge Hurricane Helene, coming in and hitting that

area. So, for those who are living there, this must be absolutely terrifying. It's good to have you always.

And folks do stay with CNN, you will get continuing coverage of exactly where that storm is at and headed over the following hours to come. Well,

coming up, NBA fever hits the courts here in Abu Dhabi. Details on that are up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:35:00]

ANDERSON: Well, with slam dunks and fierce rivalries, basketball fever hits the UAE capital, here in Abu Dhabi for the third year of what is the NBA

Abu Dhabi games. My colleague Bijan Hosseini visits the NBA district, where fans were soaking in the action.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: DeAndre Jordan turns back to -- turns back the clock, pulls up straight to three --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go.

BIJAN HOSSEINI, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: We're at the NBA district in Abu Dhabi, where fans are here. They're excited. They're about to watch their

favorite players as the Boston Celtics take on the Denver Nuggets. It's all happening right here. You can feel the excitement --

These guys are going for the Celtics. I can already tell. Was it Boston? Boston all the way there we go. This guy's room for the nuggets.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): With two of the top teams in the NBA facing off. It's safe to say there's a lot of talent descending on Abu Dhabi, that

includes two-time NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist Jrue Holiday.

HOSSEINI: You've had a really busy summer, NBA champ, Olympic gold medalist. How did that feel? How was that experience? And have you had any

time to recharge?

JRUE HOLIDAY, POINT GUARD OF BOSTON CELTICS: I mean, it's a great experience. You know, obviously winning and more winning is never a bad

thing. I think to be able to experience these types of things, where you go through a season and come out on top, and then straight from there, go and

play the Olympics against different countries and some of the best players in the world has been a blessing. So, I'm not complaining.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Holiday is no stranger to Abu Dhabi. He was here with Team USA this summer before heading to the Paris Olympics, and before

that in 2022 with the Milwaukee Bucks.

HOSSEINI: How does it feel just coming here, knowing that you have fans all over the world, and how do you connect with those fans that might not be in

the U.S.?

HOLIDAY: It's cool to see that anywhere in the world you know basketball can bring people together. It feels great knowing that when you step into

this arena, you'll get the support that, I mean, they know who you are, and they support you. So, we want to come here and give a good show.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): International matchups like this are a key part of the NBA's plan to spread the game of basketball around the world.

ADAM SILVER, NBA COMMISSIONER: There's no substitute for being on the ground. I learned that in my job, showing up and meeting with people and

getting a sense of the community and having conversations with people that are different than what you might be reading and trying to understand the

fans here.

So that makes a big difference in all the markets. I think that bringing the players, they become ambassadors for the market, in essence, to be able

to go home and talk to other players about exactly what they've experienced on the ground.

HOSSEINI: Let's talk about expansion. It's been a very hot topic recently.

[09:40:00]

Where does the NBA currently stand on expanding, adding teams? And is there any interest in expanding globally?

SILVER: I'll begin with the United States and Canada in essence, we had said all along that once we got our new collective bargaining agreement

done with the players and our new media deals in place, we would turn to expansion. Essentially, that's what we're doing now.

We're studying it intensively at the league office. I mean, there are the main issues are dilution, potentially player talent. I don't think that's

the issue it once was, because we're seeing so much elite basketball played on a global level, to the point where, you know, back 30 years ago, roughly

5 percent of our players were born outside United States. It's getting close to 30 percent now.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Players from around the world have been dominating the league in recent years, with the MVP award going to non-American

athletes for the past six seasons.

SILVER: Those international players coming especially when they so worldly, you know, relates to so many different people and so many different

cultures around the world. There's no question that, that creates sort of a spark, you know, an accelerator of growth in the league, and especially

when these international players are coming in at such an elite level.

HOSSEINI (voice-over): Aside from the game itself, there's been a lot of action happening behind the scenes. Players and staff are leading training

camps for young athletes and volunteering around the city.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I went to a beach and we did a nurdle clean up. I didn't know what a nurdle was, but it's a microplastic.

HOSSEINI: I thought -- nurdles --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, now you know, we did a community service cleaning up a beach of nurdles to protect their local turtle habitat. That was a

neat experience with some of our younger players. And then yesterday, after our practice, we did a clinic with a bunch of local young boys, young

girls.

And I love that, because it's a chance to see all of our players giving back, bringing smiles to faces, and it was an opportunity to realize that

it's perspective. The game is much bigger than ourselves. We're in Abu Dhabi. Let's give back and make sure we're doing that with smiles and --

HOSSEINI (voice-over): It's clear that the NBA global reach is about more than just the stars on the court, from grassroot programs to cultural

exchanges, the league's inspiring a whole new generation of fans and players. Even I can't help but feel a spark of inspiration. Who knows?

Maybe I have a shot at joining the NBA.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me teach you something about fundamentals. Let me teach you something about fundamental -- Oh, no, one on one you one on one

-- not a good look. I am exhausted.

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