Six years after the 2019 version of the NBA China Games ended in disaster with the relationship between league and country in tatters and the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angelese Lakers desperately wanting out of town, things were decidedly different this time. There were no international incidents, each team won a game and everyone saw the Games as a success. By 9:00 p.m. Sunday night, New York time, the Nets A360 was over the Pacific with an ETA at Newark Liberty Airport at 6;30 a.m.
For the Nets, there were a number of positives. After losing a lead in the first game and losing the game in overtime, the Nets staged a big comeback in the second game’s fourth quarter and Tyrese Martin sealed the deal with two free throws with 2.5 seconds left. Martin, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf the latter two the Nets 26th and 27th picks in the June Draft were key to the victory, the 19-year-old Saraf handing out 11 assists — the last five on 3-pointers.
For the league, it wasn’t just the absence of bad news that was a big positive. The league also announced a couple of deals with Chinese basketball authorities, one of them that also benefited Joe Tsai’s Alibaba. The STDaily which tracks science and technology in China reported that NBA China and Alibaba Cloud announced a “multi-year partnership,” with Alibaba Cloud becoming the official cloud computing and A.I. partner of NBA China.
The partnership was jointly announced by Alibaba Group Chairman and Brooklyn Nets Governor Joe Tsai and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum on the eve of the 2025 NBA China Games.
“Artificial intelligence and the cloud are the perfect connectors, connecting players and fans, brands and consumers, and bridging global perspectives with local culture,” said Tsai. “By partnering with NBA China and leveraging Alibaba’s latest technologies, we will bring unprecedented and extraordinary experiences to NBA fans and ignite their passion.”
Alibaba has a similar relationship with the Olympics, supplying cloud services to the last three Olympiads.
The league and country also announced a joint development deal. Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, called the agreement a “transformational partnership” that would allow China’s next generation to become “the greatest players they can be”, South China Morning Post reported.
“This collaboration is a continuation of our long-term efforts to elevate the game of basketball in China at all levels,” Silver said. “We look forward to strengthening our collective commitment to developing the next generation of NBA and WNBA players from China.”
NBA China and the CBA will provide opportunities for the China men’s and women’s national teams to train and compete in the US, including taking part in the NBA Summer League, as they had in the past, and pre-season WNBA games. China’s rising stars will also be given the chance to be part of the NBA’s elite basketball development programs, including Basketball Without Borders, NBA Academy and potential tryouts conducted by NBA, WNBA and NBA G League teams.
The Nets currently have two Chinese players under contract, Fanbo Zeng with Brooklyn with an Exhibit 10 deal and David Muoka with Long Island Nets on a standard G League deal. Zeng played 10 minutes in Friday’s first game vs. the Suns, but didn’t see any minutes in the second game. Chinese fans on various websites expressed frustration with Nets coach Jordi Fernandez not giving Zeng an opportunity. Fernandez had this to say about Zeng’s performance Friday.
“He was out there. He tried to do the right things because that’s who he is,” Fernandez said. “He’s a kid that asks questions, he understands. I’m pretty sure he’ll watch his film and he’ll try to be better.”
Fernandez said he encouraged Zeng to make the most of his minutes and stay positive.
“The reality is, when you have minutes, you have to take advantage of those minutes because, you know, NBA minutes are really hard, and it starts right now,” the Nets head coach said.
“Keep working, keep getting 1 per cent better, and take advantage of your opportunities. There’s a reason why he’s with us. So we got to stay positive.”
