The National Basketball Association (NBA) is staging its most significant return to China since 2019. This move signals a considerable thaw in the frosty relationship sparked by a geopolitical controversy.
The league, which had largely been banished from the Chinese market for years, is back on the ground, with the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns scheduled to play two sold-out preseason games in Macao on October 10 and 12. This marks the first NBA games played in the Chinese territory since a single social media post triggered a financial and political crisis.
The Tweet That Changed Everything
The rift began in October 2019 when Daryl Morey, then the general manager of the Houston Rockets, posted a tweet supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. China’s reaction was swift and severe.
Seeing the tweet as a challenge to national sovereignty, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV and major media partners, including Tencent, suspended NBA broadcasts. Chinese sponsors and business partners severed ties, costing the league hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue.
The fallout forced the NBA into an uncomfortable position, caught between its commitment to freedom of expression and the enormous financial stakes of the Chinese market. The league’s public attempts to navigate the crisis were met with criticism from both sides: U.S. lawmakers accused the NBA of capitulating to an authoritarian government, while Chinese officials demanded a more deferential apology.
For two awkward preseason games played in China immediately following the controversy, the atmosphere was one of silence and censorship, a stark contrast to the usual fanfare.
The Long Road to Reconciliation
The process of mending the relationship has been slow and deliberate, driven by the mutual recognition of a colossal financial opportunity and a vast, devoted fanbase.
China, boasting one of the world’s largest basketball populations with an estimated 300 million players, has never lost its appetite for the NBA. Fans in China continued to follow the league through other channels, demonstrating the enduring cultural draw of the game.
The path to return has been paved with gradual steps, including the eventual resumption of Chinese broadcasts and a recent multi-year deal to stage annual preseason games. Staging the games in Macao, a Special Administrative Region with a legal gambling hub, has been viewed by analysts as a “soft landing,” offering a less politically fraught venue for the initial re-entry than mainland cities.
NBA to feature events week-long exhibitions and community programs
The events this week, featuring the Nets (owned by Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai) and the Suns, are accompanied by a week-long fan exhibition and community programs, signaling an earnest attempt to re-engage the massive market.
The NBA’s return underscores the complex balance global businesses must strike between Western values and the political sensitivities of foreign markets.
For the league, this moment is a clear declaration that the financial importance of one of the world’s largest fan bases ultimately supersedes the recent geopolitical turbulence.
The enthusiastic ticket sales and the sheer scale of the events confirm that while the political tensions may linger, the passion for the game has remained unbroken.
