For the first time since 2019, the NBA Play is expected to resume in China with two preseason matchups between the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets scheduled for 2025, according to a ESPN Report.
The NBA’s relationship with China has been in crisis since then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who now serves as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, sent a tweet in support of protests over the freedom of expression in Hong Kong, which was endorsed by Commissioner Adam Silver.
What followed was a loss of sponsorships and a temporary blackout of NBA games in China that, according to ESPN, cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue over the following seasons.
The games between the Suns and Nets will be played in Macau at the Venetian Arena, controlled by the Adelson family – through the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate – which is now the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks after purchasing the team from Mark Cuban. part of the franchise for $3.5 billion in 2023.
As ESPN notes, there were a total of 28 preseason games involving 17 NBA teams over a 15-year span, from 2004 to 2019, as the league further expanded its global presence. Obviously, this was a relationship Silver wanted to repair, and with these two preseason games back on the schedule, it appears the league has taken a big step toward doing so.
