NBA returning to China for pair of Suns-Nets preseason games in 2025

The NBA is returning to China next season, striking a deal to play preseason games there more than five years after the league was effectively banned over Commissioner Adam Silver not punishing Daryl Morey for tweeting support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong.

The Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play in China’s gambling hub of Macao on Oct. 10, 2025, and again two days later, the NBA announced on Friday. A person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press that there are plans for two more preseason games in China in 2026.

The Nets and Suns will play at Macao’s Venetian Arena, which is owned by the Las Vegas Sands Corp. — which is a casino operator there as well. Sands president and chief operating officer Patrick Dumont became governor of the Dallas Mavericks late last year after his family acquired the team.

“We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Sands to bring NBA games back to Macao beginning next year," NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said in Macao, adding that the agreement is "a significant milestone in the continued global growth of basketball.”