NBA Returns to China After Six Years, Bringing Buzz and Optimism to Macao

The NBA has returned to China after a six-year hiatus, reigniting excitement among fans and team owners alike. With two preseason games scheduled between the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns in Macao, the city is experiencing an unprecedented surge of enthusiasm. Team executives and basketball legends have described the event as both a commercial opportunity and a moment of cultural reconnection between China and the U.S.

The games, set for Friday and Sunday at The Venetian Hotel in Macao, mark the NBA’s first appearance in the country since 2019. That year, a political fallout over comments about the Hong Kong protests led Beijing to effectively freeze out the league, halting in-person NBA activities in its most significant overseas market.

In what appears to be a sign of improving relations, Chinese technology giant Alibaba announced on Thursday a multi-year partnership with the NBA to provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services across China. The collaboration comes just as the Nets and Suns prepare to take the court before Chinese fans once again.

Rim and basketball | Source: Pexels

Brooklyn Nets owner and Alibaba Group chairman Joe Tsai expressed his enthusiasm about the league’s long-awaited return. “I couldn’t be more excited that my team would be the first to come back to China to play in Macao,” Tsai told CNBC on Friday. “The NBA has a huge fan base in China, hundreds of millions of fans, and during the time when the NBA wasn’t playing games here, the games were broadcast in China, and they continued to engage with fans on social media.”

Tsai emphasized that his team’s global outlook made the transition natural. “Well, for me, there’s really not a lot of preparation for our team,” he said. “You know why? Because our mindset is very international. We’re a very international team, and for us, if there’s any opportunity for us to play internationally, we put up our hand. So, this is a thrill for me personally, to kind of come home and be able to participate in this great event here.”

Boston Celtics co-owner Mario Ho, a Macao native and son of casino magnate Stanley Ho, described the city’s excitement as unparalleled. “As a Macao local, I can tell you, the city is buzzing like nothing before,” he said in an interview with CNBC’s The China Connection. “Everyone has traveled here to catch a glimpse of the players, catch a glimpse of the legends, and I think everybody just can’t wait for the games to actually take place already.”

Ho added that the return also presents valuable business prospects for the teams involved. “Now, as a Celtics co-owner, I think this time for me, it’s to look at the commercial opportunities of what this means to the teams, and also to interact with the players and see how they feel. And obviously, I think they’re all excited, and the fans are very excited to be able to see them.”

Man playing basketball | Source: Pexels

For Chinese basketball icon Yao Ming, the return of the NBA represents more than just a sporting event—it is a personal reunion and a symbol of shared enthusiasm for the game. “I’m very excited to see a lot of old friends,” Yao said. “I think this happened because of the support by so many different parties, whether it’s in the States or in China. That shows people have great desire for the sport.”

With political tensions easing and commercial ties strengthening, the NBA’s re-entry into China signals a renewed chapter for one of the world’s most popular sports. For now, as the teams prepare to take the court in Macao, fans across the region are once again turning their eyes toward the game they’ve waited years to see live.