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Opinion
SCMP Editorial
Editorial
SCMP Editorial

NBA’s Macau games are a bright spot amid US-China tensions

With ties between Washington and Beijing tense and uncertain, the nations’ shared passion for basketball can provide a valuable link

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Former NBA player Yao Ming (second from left) and Patrick Dumont (left), CEO of Las Vegas Sands and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, follow the NBA pre-season game between the Phoenix Suns and the Brooklyn Nets at The Venetian Arena in Macau on October 12. Photo: AFP
SCMP Editorial
Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.
The return of star-studded NBA basketball teams to China, after a six-year absence, thrilled fans and marked the renewal of a relationship which has enormous potential. The Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns tied in the two-game series at The Venetian Arena in Macau. The sell-out events were watched by a combined crowd of more than 22,000. There was plenty of glitz and glamour, with singers, a lion dance, NBA legends and other celebrities. Fans revelled in the pre-season action and were able to see Chinese star Zeng Fanbo make his debut for the Nets.

The matches were the first two to be played in Macau under a five-year deal between the NBA and Sands China. This was a promising start. A Texas derby between the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets is scheduled for 2026.

Basketball is one of China’s most popular sports, with hundreds of millions of followers. Interest in the NBA surged in the 1990s, with free-to-air broadcasts of games, and accelerated with the success of China’s greatest player, Yao Ming.

There were 25 NBA games played in China from 2004 to 2019. But the relationship was fractured when the then-general manager of the Houston Rockets made an ill-conceived tweet in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. The backlash in China saw broadcasts of NBA games halted, sponsors dropping their support and fans outraged. It was going to take time for the relationship to recover. But the NBA continued to engage with China and its patience has paid off. The return of the American teams to the country can greatly benefit both sides.

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