Other events in Baltic States

he 2016/2017 NBA season kicks off tonight, and for the first time ever two Latvians will be playing in the league at the same time.

Forward Kristaps Porzingis will open his second season for the New York Knicks tonight at the defending NBA champs - the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Meanwhile, forward Davis Bertans will make his NBA debut for the San Antonio Spurs tonight against the Golden State Warriors.

The Knicks missed the NBA playoffs last season, but have added a string of veteran players this off-season like former league MVP Derrick Rose, and have set their sights on the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Spurs, one of the elite teams in the NBA in recent seasons, winning the title in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014, have also seen some changes this off-season after veteran big-man Tim Duncan retired. The team's main off-season acquisition is likely Spanish center Pau Gasol, and the club has set its sights on advancing to the NBA finals once again.

The 7-foot-3 (2.21m) Porzingis averaged 14.3 points and grabbed 7.3 rebounds a game while leading NBA rookies with 1.86 blocked shots a game last season. The fourth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft was the highest-scoring Knicks rookie since Mark Jackson in 1988.

The 6-foot-10 Bertans was the 42nd overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, but has played in Europe since then. He signed a two-year deal with the Spurs this off-season. The 23-year-old Bertans played for Spanish club Vitoria Laboral Kutxa last season, averaging 8.5 points and 3.1 rebounds in ACB League action last season, and 7.9 points and 1.9 rebounds in the Euroleague. Bertans has recovered from two ACL tears in his young career, and did not help the Latvian national basketball team at this summer's Olympic qualifiers. He tore his ACL in both 2013 and 2014.