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OKLAHOMA City Thunder, the home team of former Adelaide 36er and future Boomer Josh Giddey, and before him import Terrance Ferguson, will host the Sixers in one of their two pre-season road games against NBA opponents in October. The Phoenix Suns first will host Adelaide on October 2.

The Sixers then will back up against OKC on October 6 in the first post-COVID revival of the NBLvNBA pre-season series.

Ferguson played for the Adelaide 36ers in 2016-17 as a teenager and the youngest import in NBL history, his season in Australia taking him from high school to a year of international professional play.

Drafted by OKC in 2017, his experience at the 36ers, fostered and initiated by then coach Joey Wright and American basketballing entrepreneur Raheim Brown, originated the idea for the NBL's Next Stars program, which has been in vogue since.

Giddey won the NBL Rookie of the Year award with the 36ers before being drafted by OKC in the NBA, where he also appeared on track for Rookie of the Year honours before injury cut short his debut season.

The 36ers also will run into Ousmane Dieng, the young Frenchman who played for New Zealand Breakers last season, before being drafted #11 overall by the Thunder.

Adelaide coach CJ Bruton said the games would be a great opportunity to showcase the team, the city and the state on a grander stage.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to again showcase their skillset and where they're at, not only for them but showcase our club, showcase South Australia, and put Adelaide on the map in a sense of people know because of where Josh Giddey played," Bruton said.

"But again to represent the club in the right way and the NBL in the right way. There's a lot of people behind closed doors that have put a lot of work in to this to make this happen.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for everybody."

Phoenix Suns also will feature two familiar NBL faces with Melbourne United championship-winner Jock Landale and former Brisbane Bullets and Cairns Taipans import Torrey Craig in the lineup.

Landale is a Larry Sengstock Medallist as Grand Final Series MVP while Craig, when he finally managed to escape Stephen Weigh's massive shadow at Cairns, was one of the NBL's most imposing imports with the Bullets.