The National Basketball Association (NBA) is set to return to China, nearly five years after a single tweet ignited significant controversy in the league’s second-most lucrative market.
The Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns are scheduled to compete in two preseason games in Macao next October, as reported by ESPN.
The Brooklyn Nets are owned by Taiwanese entrepreneur Joe Tsai, and the matches will reportedly take place at the Venetian Arena, managed by the Adelson family, who also hold a majority stake in the Dallas Mavericks. The Adelson company is expected to collaborate with the NBA on new youth development programs and social impact initiatives within Macao.
According to ESPN, these games are the culmination of a prolonged effort to mend the NBA’s relationship with China. NBA China CEO Michael Ma has allegedly played a significant role in this process since his appointment in 2020.
NBA’s China controversy engulfed the league in 2019
The NBA’s troubles began on Oct. 4, 2019, when then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted an image reading “Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.” amid a series of protests in the special administrative regions against the Chinese government.
The NBA responded by immediately distancing itself from the tweet, as did Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. Morey, now the president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, later deleted the tweet and clarified the statement reflected only his personal views. That single bit of criticism still provoked the full wrath of the Chinese government.
NBA games were removed from the country’s broadcast television, and the Rockets became an overnight taboo, despite being the team of national hero Yao Ming. The league played 28 preseason games in China from 2004 to 2019, but not one since The Tweet.