THE NBA is set to play its first preseason games in China since 2019, signaling a possible thaw in relations following a diplomatic rift triggered by a controversial tweet.
Reports indicate that the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will face off on October 10 and 12, 2025, at the Venetian Arena in Macao, marking the league’s return to the region after a four-year hiatus.
Basketball enjoys immense popularity in China, a market that once generated hundreds of millions of dollars for the NBA.
However, tensions flared in 2019 when then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey expressed support for anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver defended Morey’s right to free speech, but the tweet led to the suspension of NBA broadcasts on China’s state-run CCTV and the cancellation of several lucrative sponsorship deals.
In 2021, Silver estimated the NBA lost around $400 million due to the fallout.
The situation began to improve in 2022 when NBA games resumed airing on CCTV and became accessible via streaming platforms.
NBA stars, including Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, also made appearances in China in recent years.
The games in Macao will take place at the Venetian Arena, which is owned by Las Vegas Sands, a company that operates casinos in the region.
Macao is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.
The arena’s connection to the NBA is also significant, as Patrick Dumont, CEO of Las Vegas Sands, is the governor of the Dallas Mavericks, while Nets owner Joe Tsai is the co-founder of Alibaba, one of China’s largest e-commerce firms.