NBA signs deal with Sands China to play pre-season games at Venetian Arena in Macau

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The Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will kick off the partnership with two games on October 10 and 12 next year, said the NBA’s deputy commissioner Mark Tatum.

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A giant basketball outside The Londoner hotel in Macau, signifying the strategic partnership between the NBA and Sands China, on December 6, 2024. Photo: SCMP

Peggy SitoandMike Chan

Published: 10:49am, 6 Dec 2024Updated: 9:46am, 7 Dec 2024

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has signed a multimillion-dollar agreement to stage pre-season games in Macau, taking the sport to the doorstep of its biggest potential market as it struggles at home to regain the mass viewership it enjoyed before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will play two games on October 10 and 12 next year at The Venetian Arena operated by Sands China, kicking off the five-year agreement in Macau, the former Portuguese territory near Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Zhuhai.

“It is an exciting day today, as [we] bring the NBA to Macau”, said the NBA’s deputy commissioner Mark Tatum. “It is incredible to see the transformation of Macau since [my] last visit in 2008.”

Macau has a “passionate fan base for the NBA and we have a partner in Sands China that is investing in sports, so that is why we are bringing the games back”, he said.

The accord, almost two decades in the making since the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Orlando Magic at The Venetian in 2007, is a milestone for the NBA, as it marks the nearest approach to mainland China by the professional league since a 2019 row over a tweet that expressed support for Hong Kong’s anti-government protests. China is the world’s largest basketball market with a fan base estimated at between 300 million and 450 million.

“We started talking with the NBA during the Covid period as we were looking to take the tourism content [of the resort] to the next level”, said Sands China’s CEO Grant Chum during an interview with the Post. “We are combining our resources with the NBA in a multi-year strategic collaboration where we have a series of landmark events. That brings not just content for our visitors, but also enhances the reputation and profile of Macau as an international tourism destination that combines the best of entertainment, hospitality and sports.”