Nick Claxton of the Brooklyn Nets shoots during a practice session before the NBA preseason games, at the Venetian Arena in Macau on October 9, 2025.
Eduardo Leal | afp | fake images
Team owners and NBA legends have welcomed American basketball’s return to China after a six-year hiatus, saying Macau’s glitzy betting hub is “buzzing like never before.”
Two preseason games between the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns are scheduled for Friday and Sunday. The teams will play at The Venetian Hotel in Macau, a special administrative region of China.
For Chinese American basketball fans, the wait for a game has been long. That’s because Beijing, the NBA’s most important foreign market, effectively froze the NBA in 2019 following the fallout from protests in Hong Kong.
However, in an apparent thawing of political tensions, the Chinese tech giant Alibaba On Thursday it announced a multi-year partnership with the NBA to provide artificial intelligence and cloud services in China.
Alibaba Group Chairman Joe Tsai, who also owns the Brooklyn Nets, told CNBC on Friday that he “couldn’t be more excited” that his team was the first to return to China to play in Macau.
“The NBA has a huge fan base in China, hundreds of millions of fans, and during the time when the NBA was not playing here, the games were broadcast in China and they continued to engage with fans on social media,” Tsai said.
When asked how his team prepared to make the trip, Tsai responded: “Well, for me, there really isn’t much preparation for our team. Do you know why? Because our mentality is very international.”
He added: “We are a very international team, and for us, if we have any opportunity to play internationally, we raise our hand. So for me personally it’s exciting to come… home and be able to participate in this great event here.”
Mario Ho, co-owner of the Boston Celtics and son of casino magnate Stanley Ho, echoed this sentiment.
“As a Macau local, I can tell you that the city is lively like never before, everyone has traveled here to see the players, glimpse the legends, and I think everyone is looking forward to the games now happening,” Ho said in an interview with CNBC’s “The China Connection.”
“Now, as a part-owner of the Celtics, I think this time for me is looking at the business opportunities of what this means for the teams, and also interacting with the players and seeing how they feel. And obviously, I think everyone is excited, and the fans are very excited to be able to see them,” Ho said.
For former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming, the NBA’s return to China offers a chance to connect with former colleagues.
“I’m very excited to see a lot of old friends. I think this happened because of the support from so many different parties, whether it’s in the United States or in China. It shows that people have a great desire for the sport,” Yao said.
Yao Ming speaks to the media during the NBA Cares and Sands Cares Community Service Week as part of the NBA Global Games China 2025 at the Venetian Arena on October 9, 2025 in Macau, China.
Ryan Stetz | National Basketball Association | fake images
When asked what it would take for another Chinese basketball legend to follow in his footsteps in the NBA, Yao responded: “Good question. Let me ask you this question another way if you allow me. Have we ever followed our parents’ advice? Not so much.”
He added: “So I think the younger generation needs to… find their own path, make their own path. And I’d like to be the guy that’s out there to encourage them, help them when they need it. And I think that’s going to be my role.”
