NBA Returns to China After 6-Year Absence With Macau Games

9 HOURS AGO·UPDATED 9 HOURS AGO

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Above: The NBA Cares + Sands Cares Community Service Week Tip-Off at the Venetian Arena in Macao, China, on Oct. 9, 2025. Image copyright: David Dow/NBAE/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

This is a groundbreaking technological partnership that will revolutionize fan engagement. Alibaba Cloud's AI innovations will transform how Chinese fans experience basketball through real-time highlights, personalized avatars and immersive 360-degree replays that showcase the future of sports entertainment.

Global Times WFXG FOX 54

Establishment-critical narrative

The NBA's return to China exposes the league's willingness to sacrifice principles for profit. The 2019 boycott following Morey's Hong Kong tweet cost $400 million and demonstrated how Beijing uses economic pressure to silence foreign criticism of its policies and territorial claims.

South China Morning Post