Stars from more traditionally British sports may have caught the eye at the Arena in East London last night, but there was enough evidence to sug-O2 gest that basketball is poised to take its place in the national consciousness. A sell-out crowd of nearly 18,000, including Lewis Hamilton, saw the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves play a pre-season friendly as part of the NBA’s Europe Live tour, an attempt to generate new revenue streams for the sport outside North America.

The fact that basketball already has a strong foothold among certain demographics of British society was illustrated by the young faces in the crowd and the celebrities sitting courtside – including Hamilton, the Formula One World Championship leader, Didier Drogba, Darren Bent and Anton Ferdinand, among numerous Barclays Premier League football players. “I’ve been a big fan of basketball and the NBA all my life,” Bent, the Tottenham Hotspur forward, said. “I’m a Cleveland Cavaliers fan – I was a [Chicago] Bulls fan like everyone else when [Michael] Jordan was there – but I think Boston can go a long way this season.”

Hamilton was afforded the loudest cheer of the night when introduced to the crowd, but Bill Russell, the retired Celtics legend, was also greeted warmly. There was also a large number of corporate “suits” in attendance, the “prawn sandwich brigade” being an essential component in the NBA’s dream of integrating a European expansion division into its league.

Boston’s 92-81 victory continued the integration of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the superstar newcomers, into their squad. The event justified the view of David Stern, the NBA commissioner, that Britain is the last great unconquered market in the world. Stern revealed that talks are under way about staging another preseason game at the O2 Arena next year, while the idea of the venue hosting the All-Star Game has been discussed.