NBA’s China comeback: After a six-year timeout, the league looks to rebound

SHANGHAI: For Chinese basketball fans, the long wait is finally over.

The NBA returns to China after a six-year hiatus - staging two pre-season matches in Macau between the Brooklyn Nets, which is also owned by Alibaba chairman Joseph Tsai, and the Phoenix Suns.

The Venetian arena in Macau was packed to capacity on Friday night (Oct 10), with fans clamouring for live action.

Allen Xie, 29, Adidas Basketball’s global brand marketing manager, was among those in the crowd.

It was an “amazing fan atmosphere”, he told CNA, adding that there was a lot of brand presence and activities - “giving fans a great experience of basketball and the surrounding cultures”.

For fans, this is a return long overdue.

For industry watchers, it signals a cautious dribble back into one of the league’s most important overseas markets - following years of careful planning and recalibration. 

“The China fans are some of our biggest supporters,” American basketball star Michael Porter Jr of the Brooklyn Nets told reporters on the sidelines at the arena. 

“There are so many fans out here so I think coming out here and being able to play in front of them is definitely a blessing for us and for them.”

Phoenix Suns’ star player Devin Booker shared his excitement and hailed the importance of the NBA’s return to China. 

“The game of basketball touches everywhere in the world, but especially in China,” the 28-year-old said.

“It’s super important (as) we have a big fan base out here in China, and we have Chinese players in the NBA.”

“Just seeing the reaction of the fans, their faces lit up just upon our arrival. So it’s important for us and for the league to be here in person and doing this.”

“They weren’t going to stay out forever. It was really a question of just how