What Nets thought about preseason China trip that served dual purpose

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 ...