"The NBA is going back to China next season, as expected, with the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets playing a pair of preseason games in October at the gambling hub of Macao. The games, like the preseason ones this season between Brooklyn and Phoenix, will be played at Macao's Venetian Arena, which is owned by the Sands Corp. -- a casino operator there as well."
"Houston was another logical pick to play in China. The Rockets have long had enormous popularity in that nation, largely because of Yao Ming -- a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, an eight-time NBA All-Star and the best Chinese player ever -- spending his NBA career in Houston. Since drafting Yao in 2002, the Rockets "have received overwhelming love from the passionate basketball fans of China and built several cherished memories playing overseas," Houston alternate governor Patrick Fertitta said."
The NBA will hold two preseason games in Macao next October, featuring the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets. The games are scheduled for Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 at Macao's Venetian Arena, a venue owned by the Sands Corp. Sands president and COO Patrick Dumont serves as Mavericks governor and welcomed the team to Macao. The Rockets retain major popularity in China because of Yao Ming's NBA career in Houston and the franchise's long-standing connection to Chinese fans. A 2019 rift began after Daryl Morey's Hong Kong tweet; NBA-China relations have since improved and play has resumed.
Read at ESPN.com
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