The Phoenix Suns’ star player Devin Booker has hailed the importance of the NBA’s return to China, as his team prepared to face the Brooklyn Nets in two pre-season games in Macau.
The pair of games, to be played at the casino hub’s Venetian Arena on Friday and Sunday, will be the league’s first matches in China since 2019, and the 10-year veteran acknowledged that it was a “big deal” for it to be back.
“It’s super-important – we have a big fan base out here in China, and we have Chinese players in the NBA,” the Suns shooting guard said.
“Being here on their homeland and letting them see us play in person, for the youths and the next generation of Chinese players getting this experience on their land, [can] open up their inspiration, you know, make them feel they have a chance [to play in the NBA].”
The four-time All-Star, an Olympic champion with Team USA in 2021 and 2024, added that he shared the excitement felt among Chinese fans about the resumption of NBA action in the country.
“The game of basketball touches everywhere in the world, but especially in China,” the 28-year-old said. “Just seeing the reaction of the fans, their faces lit up just upon our arrival.
“So it’s important for us and for the league to be here in person and doing this.”
There have been no NBA games in China since the reaction to a 2019 tweet by Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets, that expressed support for anti-government protesters in Hong Kong. It prompted China to halt televising of the NBA, and Chinese sponsors pulled millions of dollars in deals.
With the league welcomed back, Booker said he felt the enthusiasm was as great as ever.
“From my perspective, it’s always been an extreme amount of love – I can see that through the social platforms,” Booker said.
“I know I have tremendous respect for the country of China [and] they have the same for us.”
39 comments
No wonder you see so many nba players in China during the off-season
The way these guys talk about China, I’m surprise they didn’t cancel Morey for that one thing.
he’s trying to get those all star fan votes good work king
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I did appreciate how loud the fans cheered from simple layups and jumpshots. For both teams. They really love their basketball.
Why can’t Devon be our ambassador to China? 🇨🇳 He’d do better than Orange Mussolini.
wow this seems like not devin booker’s real words lol
What do they have on him
CCP has book brainwashed
That man got a check 😂
The Chinese Century
You can criticize the CCP all you want, rightfully, but you can’t deny the people love ball. I would love it over there as a NBA player too. They adore those guys. Its very cool to see.
Whelp people are gonna blow this the absolute fuck up
I like China way more than I like Devin Booker.
Booker isn’t thinking about the Chinese/US government and all of that stuff (like what the online people usually do). He sees the fans and how they like basketball and made a comment based on that.
Don’t overthink it…
This thread could potentially go another way. Will check again in 12 hours.
When you go to basketball heaven and it’s Chinese.
anyone know who owns a casino in Macau?
Everyone in the nba wants Chinese money. They know they can get 4 times the earnings from the Chinese market.
Before Booker signed his ~~robbery~~ extension, I predicted he’d be traded to the Rockets because they were holding Phoenix’s picks hostage (and still are). This headline is out of the parallel universe where my prediction came true. China loves the Rockets (pre-Morey and I think post- as well).
Dude China is amazing! I hear the Uyghurs got the dopest rec leagues in their reeducation camps
Used to live in China. Chinese are some of the most passionate NBA fans out there. Incredibly knowledgeable about the sport, too. Great to see Book respect and appreciate their passion.
I wonder how much silver paid him to say that
Americans so shocked that Book could actually *like* Chinese people that he must either be being paid or being blackmailed.
+20 social credit score
Mmmmm China Balls… mmmm all over my chin…mmmm ooohhh, China dick…. mmmmm Human Rights? Eeewwwwww
China loves hoop. Just like how Europe adopted hoops after dream team. China is gonna be a major player in the future in the NBA.
translation = i love money
Remember that above ethics and morals, money is the most important thing.
ccp has concentration camps where they perform live forced organ harvesting from prisoners
Basketball players are some of the most spineless greasy athletes out there when it comes to their money. I love watching the NBA but have very little respect for most of the stars
You don’t even need to go to China to know they love basketball. When I was in university I made friends with a classmate from Shanghai. We would study or work on a project in the school computer lab and put an NBA game on in the background on one of the school monitors while we were working.
Speak a little Chinese for them Devin—blow these people’s mentality!
Damn. Silver got these boys chirping the company line. China is also committing genocide on the Tibetan and Uyghur minorities, including forced sterilization of their women so the bloodlines die off. But shhhhh 💵💵💵💵
barf
Chairman DeMao Booker! Am I doing it right?
David Stern shining down from heaven. Appease the Chinese overlord. Soon the Saudi are gonna own enough teams. I’m gonna have to hear fucking Devin Booker. Tell me about how much he loves goddamn Saudi Arabia.
Remember the ‘knee gaurds’ video when that nba team was getting off the bus last year in China?
booker social credit just went up in china