Nets owner Joe Tsai says NBA's relationship with China 'in a very good place'

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Could the NBA and China once again be in a good-standing relationship? One NBA owner with high influence overseas seems to think so. 

Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai, the co-founder and chairman of Chinese e-commerce Giant Alibaba, told CNBC that the league is "in a very good place" with China despite their rocky situation these past few years. 

Four years ago, Houston Rockets' then-executive Daryl Morey tweeted that he stood with Hong Kong, supporting the anti-government protests that were taking place there. 

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Joe Tsai speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference on Oct. 18, 2021, in Beverly Hills, California. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Enraged by the support, China announced its "condemnation" of Morey’s tweet, while cutting ties with the Rockets. At the time, the Los Angeles Lakers were also set to play in Shanghai and Shenzhen. 

The 300 million NBA fans who reside in China were cut off from the NBA, which commissioner Adam Silver said cost the league around $400 million in 2021. 

But Tsai, whose team was the last to play in China in 2019, sees the relationship mending. 

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"I think the NBA is in a very good place with respect to its relationship with China," Tsai said, per Reuters. "China is actually the NBA’s biggest fan base. So what happened before, I think it’s water under the bridge."

Tsai added the NBA would "love" to get back to China and Macau to play games for their vast international audience.  

Joe Tsai of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the game