One part of the Nets’ recent trip to China stood out in particular for Ziaire Williams.
“The egg-tart custard that’s here, the specialty, that’s really good,” Williams said as their trip came to a close Sunday. “I’m a big foodie. McDonald’s here is a lot better.”
But the trip carried much more weight than just unique foods and differences in fast-food chains.
The Nets and Suns — who squared off in two preseason games at Venetian Arena in Macao — became the first NBA teams to play in China since the league’s relationship with the Communist authoritarian nation fractured in 2019.
Macao is a “special administrative region” of China — it has its own governing and economic systems but is under Chinese sovereignty.
The games were part of a five-year partnership between the NBA and Sands China, a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands, to bring the NBA to Venetian Arena — which Sands China owns — and Macao.
Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson owns Las Vegas Sands.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently said that the NBA is eyeing a return for games to be played in mainland China, too, concurrent with the league’s Macao arrangement.
This trip seems to have been a success and a strong step toward that goal.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” Nets coach Jordi Fernández said after the second game, a 111-109 Nets win. “I’ve always known that we have all the support because the NBA is a global business and we impact a lot of people because this game is watched all over the world. But you don’t know until you know. When you see the crowds and the excitement and how well they treated us, it makes it special because we’re taking home a unique experience. An experience where culture is also involved.”
The strained relations stemmed from then-Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supporting pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong on social media.
China pulled NBA sponsorships and CCTV, China’s state broadcaster, stopped airing games. Significant revenue for the NBA was lost.
The Nets play an important role in the NBA recapturing the lucrative Chinese market. Owner Joe Tsai, who co-founded Alibaba, is one of the most successful businessmen in China.
Tsai is Taiwanese, which is a democratically run nation that considers itself sovereign, but China considers it part of its territory.
The U.S. government has warned that an attempt by China to conquer Taiwan “could be imminent,” though Tsai has largely publicly supported Chinese president Xi Jinping and his policies. Silver has previously said Tsai is “invaluable” to the league’s expansion in China.
As a result, the Nets are one of the most popular teams in China.
And Zeng Fanbo, one of China’s top prospects, got a shot in training camp on an Exhibit 10 deal, though he was waived Wednesday as the Nets subsequently signed Grant Nelson, who has been with the team in camp.
Fans were out in full force to support the Nets during the trip.
“Probably the fan event [was the best part of the trip],” Cam Thomas said. “Coming out, having fun with the fans, enjoying that moment, seeing how it was a sold-out crowd, so that was dope to see and be a part of.”
“It’s a fun game and it’s a global game and it’s continuously growing every year,” Williams said. “I feel like it’s great that we have the opportunity to play on the whole other side of the world and play in front of fans who are die-hard about the sport. Over the years, it’ll keep growing more and more and hopefully we inspire more kids to follow their dreams.”
Beyond the importance to the league, this trip can be significant for the Nets.
It provided valuable bonding time, and for a team that is counting on a record five first-round rookies to make up its core, it can perhaps mark the beginning of a new chapter for the organization.
“We’re really big into it,” Fernández said, “because we’ll never forget this trip.”
