The NBA and Sands China announced today a multiyear agreement under which the association will play some preseason games in Macau.
The Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play a pair of exhibition games at the Venetian Arena, located at the Sands China-operated casino hotel of the same name. Those contests are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 10 and Sunday, Oct. 12.
Sands China is a unit of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS). Dr. Miriam Adelson is the largest individual shareholder in that company and she and her son-in-law Patrick Dumont — president and chief operating officer of the casino giant — are the owners of the Dallas Mavericks. Dumont serves as governor of the NBA franchise.
Bringing preseason games to Macao will showcase the excitement of the NBA to fans in one of the world’s emerging hubs for sports. The Nets and the Suns feature an exciting mix of established and rising stars,” said NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum in a statement.
Assuming the following players aren’t traded between now and the start of the 2025 season, the Suns will bring all-stars Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and two-time champion Kevin Durant to Macau.
NBA Return to China Follows Morey Drama
News of the Macau exhibition games marks the NBA’s return to China following a five-year absence that was caused in part by then Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey.
In 2019, Morey posted a show of support for Hong Kong protesters on the social media platform then known as Twitter. The since deleted image read “Fight for Freedom, Stand with Hong Kong.” Morey’s tweet drew rebuke from some NBA stars with LeBron James calling the executive’s view misinformed and some Chinese officials pressed the NBA to have the general manager fired.
There are some indirect gaming ties in that imbroglio because at the time, Morey’s boss was Tilman Fertitta – owner of the Houston Rockets and the Golden Nugget casino empire. Fertitta moved quickly to say that Morey’s views didn’t reflect those of the Rockets, but the damage was done as China refused to air Rockets during the 2019-20 season, even when the team had matchups against opponents with marquee stars.
At the time, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted the league could lose as much as $400 million in annual revenue by not having access to China. Morey left the Rockets in 2020 and became president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers later that year.
Macau Games Could Be Moneymaker
While financial terms of the NBA’s relationship with Macau weren’t revealed, it’s likely to be a profitable relationship for Sands China because the league is hugely popular with Chinese fans. The league knows as much and has avenues for tapping into that enthusiasm.
“Ahead of the games, an NBA Flagship Store will open at The Londoner Macau and provide fans in Macau and visiting from around the world with a wide range of authentic and customizable NBA merchandise from major brands,” according to the statement.
The Londoner is also operated by Sands China.
The post NBA Bringing 2025 Exhibition Games to Macau appeared first on Casino.org.
