NBA games in Macau test waters for China comeback

HONG KONG, Oct 10 (Reuters) - The National Basketball Association's (NBA) games in Macau on Friday and Sunday are a test for a broader China comeback, experts and state media said, as Chinese fans descended on the world's biggest gambling hub to get a glimpse of the sport.

The NBA is playing two pre-season games, dubbed the "China Games 2025", in the Chinese special administrative region, pitting the Brooklyn Nets against the Phoenix Suns at sold-out games in casino group Sands China's Venetian arena.

Fans crowded outside the Sands property in Macau, clamouring to see the players as they arrived.

The family of deceased founder billionaire Sheldon Adelson controls Las Vegas Sands and its Macau unit and brought the games to the city to diversify the Chinese territory's non-gambling offerings.

The Adelson family also owns the Texas-based NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks. Las Vegas Sands President Patrick Dumont began having conversations in 2021 to bring the league to Macau ahead of casino licence renewals in 2022, said Sands spokesperson Ron Reese.

The games follow a six-year absence from China amid controversy over comments supportive of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests in 2019. The NBA previously played two preseason games in 2007 in Macau, the league said.

The China market is vital to the NBA, with around 300 million people playing basketball in the country.

The Macau event aims to garner support for the NBA at a time of rising political tensions between the United States and China. As part of a multi-year contract, the NBA will play in Macau for the next five years.

Playing in Macau, is a "very smart move," said Mark Dreyer, author of a book on China's sports industry, as it is a "soft re-entry into China."

"This is a very cautious return. They came to China every year for 20 years. And to be out for what's now six years is a long gap. Sensibly, they're going to see how things go in Macau."

Chinese state newspaper the Global Times said the NBA "needs to learn from its 2019 incident" and avoid a repeat of the "debacle and that the Macau games would only be a test run for the reconnection."

The NBA's absence followed comments by the Houston Rockets' then general manager Daryl Morey, who posted a message on social media in support of the Hong Kong protests.

Beijing swiftly suspended the broadcast of NBA games, prompting corporate sponsors to flee and the league to suffer what it described at the time as dramatic financial consequences. Pre-season NBA games in China came to a standstill.

China's National Basketball Association on Friday announced a multi-year deal with the NBA, to support the development of Chinese male and female basketball teams and enable them to train and compete in the U.S., including in the NBA Summer League and pre-season WNBA games.

China has two players in the NBA, Yang Hansen and Zeng Fanbo.

Mole Zeng, a 26-year-old NBA fan from Hangzhou visiting the Venetian arena, said she expected the NBA to return to China "sooner or later".

"As the NBA continues to grow in China, more and more star players will come here to meet us in person."