Packed crowd greets NBA return to China after six-year absence
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The Brooklyn Nets' Noah Clowney taking a shot in the NBA pre-season game against the Phoenix Suns, at the Venetian Arena in Macau on Oct 10. The Suns won 132-127 in OT.
AFP
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MACAU – The Phoenix Suns beat the Brooklyn Nets 132-127 in overtime in a sold-out pre-season game in Macau on Oct 10, as fans cheered the NBA’s return to China after a six-year absence sparked by a pro-democracy tweet.
The first of two matches in Macau capped the National Basketball Association’s bid to mend fences with China, a lucrative market where an estimated 125 million people play basketball.
“The atmosphere is amazing. I’ve been a Suns fan for a long time,” said David Jin, who took a day trip from the nearby Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen.
“The NBA should come to mainland China more often. If it’s on my doorstep I’ll show up to give my support,” the 26-year-old said, adding that he spent about 5,000 yuan (S$911) for tickets and travel.
Fans in the packed Venetian Arena gave four-time NBA All-Star Devin Booker a roaring reception, while China’s 22-year-old Nets forward Zeng Fanbo made his NBA debut.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver told AFP earlier on Oct 9 that “there’s tremendous interest in the NBA throughout China”.
Building on the charm offensive, Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said the China trip was in part an opportunity to visit and learn about a new culture.
“We are told that we get support from China, a lot of fans watching our games. But the reality is you don’t know until you come here, and it’s been an amazing experience,” he said.
Also speaking before the game, Suns head coach Jordan Ott said many of his players were travelling to China for the first time.
“Just that excitement when they walk out tonight – we know it’s a packed house – would be really cool experience for all of us to remember,” he said.
The Chinese Basketball Association announced on Oct 10 a strategic partnership with the NBA, including providing opportunities for Chinese teams to take part in the NBA Summer League and WNBA pre-season games in the United States, according to state media.
The NBA’s popularity in China took off during the 2000s with the Yao Ming craze, with 28 pre-season games played in the country between 2004 and 2019.
The relationship soured in 2019, after NBA executives stood behind a team official who tweeted his support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
Qin Junhong, a 19-year-old studying in Macau, said he remembered little about the row and was just “excited” to attend the game with his friends.
“There were so many people rushing for tickets,” he told AFP.
The Oct 10 game is part of a multimillion-dollar deal to stage NBA pre-season matches at the Venetian Arena, part of the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate controlled by the Adelson family, who are the majority owners of the Dallas Mavericks.
Macau, the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, is a special administrative region of China 60km west of Hong Kong.
Ahead of the game, crowds took selfies at NBA-themed booths and shops in a convention hall, with large signs showing the logos of the league’s Chinese brand partners.
The Venetian Arena is part of Macau’s upscale hotel-casino district known as the Cotai Strip, home to a replica Big Ben and Eiffel Tower. AFP
