For the primary time in six years, the NBA is again in China. The Nets will meet the Phoenix Suns for preseason video games at The Venetian Area in Macao on Friday, Oct. 10, and Sunday, Oct. 12.
Brooklyn started its 17-hour journey to China on Monday afternoon, marking the beginning of a weeklong abroad journey. After rolling previous Hapoel Jerusalem 123–88 on Saturday at Barclays Heart, the Nets will look to shake off the jet lag and carry that momentum into matchups in opposition to NBA competitors.
“When you get there, I think it’s a complete time difference overall, so for the first few days you’re on the opposite schedule,” Michael Porter Jr. mentioned. “That’s a challenge when you go that far, but other than that, I’m excited to bring the NBA to China. I know there’s so many fans, so it’ll be fun. It’ll be fun to get our first taste against another NBA team in the Phoenix Suns, so we’ll really get to see where we’re at.”
The final time the NBA held a preseason recreation in Macao was in 2007, when the Orlando Magic confronted the Cleveland Cavaliers. USA Basketball additionally performed exhibitions there forward of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
From 2004 to 2019, 17 NBA groups competed in China as a part of the NBA China Video games. That partnership paused after then–Houston Rockets basic supervisor Daryl Morey tweeted assist for Hong Kong protesters in 2019. The controversy, and commissioner Adam Silver’s protection of Morey, led to NBA video games being pulled from Chinese language tv and the lack of main sponsorships.
This marks Brooklyn’s fourth journey to China after earlier visits in 2010, 2014 and 2019. The franchise has additionally performed worldwide video games in Japan, France, England, Mexico, Italy and Israel. Now, with the league’s return to Chinese language soil, the NBA sees a chance to rebuild ties and reintroduce its world model to an enormous viewers.
In response to the Mailman Group’s “NBA Red Card” report, which analyzes NBA digital efficiency in China based mostly on social media metrics like followers and engagement on platforms similar to Weibo and Douyin, the Nets had been the third hottest NBA crew in China as of late 2023, trailing solely the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.
“It’s really great to have this opportunity, not only to play overseas like we’re going to China, but also to play against a foreign team here at home,” head coach Jordi Fernández mentioned. “So, you see, it really shows how global the NBA is, how well the league promotes itself, and the support we have from all over the world.”
The Nets are owned by Joe Tsai, the chairman of Chinese language tech big Alibaba.
Including to the joy, rookie guard Drake Powell is predicted to make his Nets debut in some unspecified time in the future this week. He was restricted early in coaching camp with left knee tendinopathy, the identical difficulty that saved him out of Summer season League.
“I’ve been really impressed with him,” Porter mentioned of Powell. “I had just seen him in the weight room kind of doing some rehab, so I didn’t realize the athlete he was, but he’s probably one of the most athletic dudes I probably have seen in terms of speed up and down the floor, vertical, move laterally… So, I just feel like with his frame and his height, if he keeps focused then he can just keep elevating.”
For Fanbo Zeng, this journey to China is about greater than preseason basketball. The 22-year-old ahead, born in Harbin, returns dwelling as each an area favourite and an Exhibit 10 signee combating for a roster spot.
Enjoying in Macao provides him an opportunity to showcase his progress to followers who’ve adopted his path from the G League Ignite to the CBA and now Brooklyn’s camp roster. His presence can even assist the Nets join with one in all basketball’s most passionate markets by way of one in all their very own.
“I can play a game in part of China,” Zeng mentioned. “As a Chinese player here, I got to keep working hard and clean out the stereotypes for all the Asians.”
Initially Revealed: October 6, 2025 at 4:48 PM EDT
