“ I think we will play matches in China again at some point », blurted out Adam Silver at the beginning of October. Two months after this declaration from the boss of the NBA, a realization is looming. According to ESPNthe NBA will make its return to China, a first since 2019.
Two preseason matches between Suns and Nets have been announced for next October, in Macau. This return is the culmination of a years-long process aimed at repairing relations between the two camps, damaged after Daryl Morey, then GM of the Rockets, tweeted an image of support for Hong Kong protesters in October 2019.
Nets and Mavericks owners at work
This division led to the loss of lucrative sponsors and the temporary removal of NBA games from Chinese television in 2019, costing the league hundreds of millions in subsequent seasons.
According to the American media, relations have improved in recent years with the help of the representative of the Big League in China, Michael Ma, recruited in 2020.
In addition to Adam Silver, the owner of the Nets, Joe Tsai, also a billionaire co-founder of the Chinese online commerce giant Alibaba, said he was convinced of this return in the near future.
The matches in Macau will be played at the Venetian Arena, part of the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate, controlled by the Adelson family, majority owner of the Mavericks. The boss of the Texas franchise and president of Las Vegas Sands, Patrick Dumont, is said to have played a key role in the NBA's new partnership with Macau.
It should be remembered that between 2004 and 2019, no less than 17 NBA teams played a total of 28 preseason games in China.
