According to a news article published on ESPN, the NBA will return to China after a six-year gap. The report says that in October 2025, the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will play two preseason games in Macau (China).
The return of the NBA to China is a result of the yearlong efforts of NBA commissioner Adam Silver to repair the relationship between the NBA and China. The relations between China and the NBA turned sour after Daryl Morey, the general manager of the Houston Rockets at that time, tweeted an image that supported protests in Hong Kong in October 2019 to support the freedom of expression.
This incident cost the league hundreds of millions as the rift resulted in the loss of lucrative sponsorships and the temporary withdrawal of NBA games from Chinese broadcast television in 2019. According to some reports, NBA China CEO Michael Ma, who was hired in 2020, played a significant role in bringing China and the NBA on the same page after five long years.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai, who is also the millionaire co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, have voiced confidence that games will return to China soon.
The preseason games in Macao will be played at the Venetian Arena, which is part of the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate owned by the Adelson family, who are also the Dallas Mavericks‘ majority owners. Sources said that Patrick Dumont, the governor of Mavericks, the Chief Operating Officer, and president of the Las Vegas Sands, was a key driver of the NBA’s new Macao agreement.
According to this agreement, the NBA and the Las Vegas Sands Corp. will collaborate on new youth development programs and social impact projects in Macao to teach children about basketball and its principles.
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