NBA Returns to China with Exciting Preseason Games
The NBA is gearing up for a new season with an exciting return to China. The Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets will star in two preseason games in Macau, the gambling hub, in October. These games, like this season’s preseason games between Brooklyn and Phoenix, will be played at the Venetian Arena in Macau, owned by Sands Corp., a casino operator in the region. Patrick Dumont, president and chief operating officer of Sands, is also a governor of the Mavericks, which made Dallas a logical choice to participate in the games in China.Houston was also a natural choice to play in China, due to his long and huge popularity in the country, largely thanks to Yao Ming, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and eight-time NBA All-Star.I am very proud that the Mavericks are coming to Macao and that the team will experience the incredible hospitality offered by Sands properties.
Patrick Dumont
The matches will take place on October 9th and 11th. The NBA’s return to China marks the official end of a years-long dispute between the league and the Chinese government. This situation originated in October 2019, when Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Rockets, tweeted in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. The tweet was quickly deleted, but the consequences lasted for years, and Beijing was clearly displeased by NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s support for Morey’s right to speak out. NBA games were even pulled from television in China for years, but relations have been restored and several of the league’s most important figures, such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Jimmy Butler, have visited China in recent years on promotional tours, attracting large crowds to the events. Macau, a former Portuguese colony that was returned to Chinese rule in 1999, is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.Since Yao was drafted in 2002, the Rockets have received overwhelming love from passionate basketball fans in China and have built several cherished memories playing abroad.
Patrick Fertitta
