For the first time since 2019, the NBA will resume playing games in China. Two preseason matchups between the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets are set for Oct. 10 and 12, 2025, the league announced Friday.
The NBA's relationship with China has been on the rocks since then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who now serves as president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, sent out a tweet in support of the Hong Kong freedom of expression protests, which was backed by commissioner Adam Silver.
What followed was a loss of sponsorships and a temporary blacking out of NBA games in China that, according to ESPN, cost the league hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue over the ensuing seasons.
The games between the Suns and Nets will be played in Macao at the Venetian Arena, which is controlled by the Adelson family -- by way of the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate -- which is now the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks after purchasing Mark Cuban's portion of the franchise for $3.5 billion in 2023.
There were 28 preseason games involving 17 NBA teams over a 15-year span from 2004 to 2019 as the league further expanded its global foothold. Silver obviously wanted to repair this relationship, and with these two preseason games back on the schedule, it appears the league has taken a big step toward doing so.