The Phoenix Suns will play successive games against the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs in Mexico City on Jan. 12 and 14, marking an expansion of the NBA’s effort to spread the game globally. The games, between three teams in states neighboring Mexico, will mark the first time the NBA has played more than one contest during the same season in the neighboring country since the league began playing there 25 years ago. 

In his first trip to the U.S. since assuming his duties as mayor of Taiwan's capital city in December 2014, Ko will visit San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, all of which are sister cities of Taipei, Lin said. A main focus of Ko's U.S trip will be to learn about industrial development in Silicon Valley in northern California.