For the first time since 2019, preseason NBA basketball returned to China with the 2025 NBA China Games series (presented by 88VIP).
“An exciting week of on-court action and off-court fan experiences culminated with the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets playing a pair of preseason games in Macao on Oct. 10 and 12,” the league writes on its website.
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And in 2026, it appears the Houston Rockets will be part of the experience. Per Mike Chan of the South China Morning Post:
Dallas Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont, who is also the president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, which runs The Venetian, told the Post a heavyweight Texas derby would happen in Macau in 2026.
“Yes, the [Dallas] Mavericks and the [Houston] Rockets, here in Macau next year. Are you ready?” he said.
Considering Dumont owns one of those two teams, it would seem to be a fairly impeccable source.
It’s worth noting that one reason for the NBA’s China hiatus in recent years was the controversy sparked by October 2019 social media posts from then-Rockets general manager Daryl Morey. Months later, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly complicated the logistics.
But relations between the NBA and China have improved in recent years, and Morey is now with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Rockets also have a vocal Chinese advocate in former All-Star center Yao Ming, who played at an elite level with the Rockets from 2002 until late 2010.
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So, as of now, it appears the Rockets’ brand in China has largely been restored — and it will be showcased there in the fall of 2026. Exact dates and times have yet to be announced.
More: Today in 2019: Daryl Morey’s Hong Kong tweet ignites firestorm
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Rockets, Mavericks set to play in NBA China Games for 2026 preseason