NBA’s Shocking Return to China: Two Preseason Games After Five-Year Controversy
The NBA is set to return to China with two preseason games in Macao, marking a significant comeback after a five-year hiatus due to a controversial tweet.
NBA, China, Macao, Daryl Morey, Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns
Macau: So, guess what? The NBA is heading back to China! It’s been five years since that whole Daryl Morey tweet mess blew up. You remember, right? That tweet about Hong Kong sparked a huge backlash.
Now, the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns are gearing up for two preseason games in Macao next October. Pretty wild, huh? They’ll be playing at the Venetian Arena, which is owned by the Adelson family. They also own a chunk of the Dallas Mavericks.
And get this, the Adelsons are teaming up with the NBA to kick off some youth programs and social initiatives in Macao. Sounds like they’re really trying to mend fences after all that drama.
ESPN says this is all part of a long journey to fix the NBA’s relationship with China. Since Michael Ma took over as NBA China CEO in 2020, things have been looking up.
But let’s rewind a bit. The trouble started back in October 2019 when Morey tweeted about supporting Hong Kong during those protests. The NBA backed him up but quickly distanced itself from the tweet, which didn’t sit well with the Chinese government.
As a result, NBA games vanished from Chinese TV, and the Rockets, once a fan favorite thanks to Yao Ming, became a no-go. It’s been a rough ride for the league since then, with no games in China for years.
And it didn’t just stop there. The whole situation turned into a political hot potato back in the U.S., with lawmakers from both parties slamming the NBA for letting China stifle free speech. There were protests at games, too. It was a real mess!