These are the NBA teams selected to play in China
Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming games in China.
The NBA is re-establishing its presence in China next autumn with a high-profile preseason series featuring two Texas teams.
In October 2026, the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets are scheduled to meet in a pair of exhibition games in Macao, with the trip one of the league’s most significant international moves over recent years.
The contests are set for October 9 and 11 at the Venetian Arena, a venue inside the Sands complex known as one of Macao’s premier entertainment destinations. This follows a successful - by which I mean lucrative - NBA preseason visit to Macao in 2025, where the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns played two games that drew significant interest from locals in the gambling hotspot.
The NBA and Sands today announced that The NBA China Games 2026 will feature the @dallasmavs and the @HoustonRockets playing preseason games on Friday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 11 at The Venetian Arena in Macao.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 5, 2026
📰 Full release: https://t.co/s7ovaqlTYS pic.twitter.com/8cxLg7njaY
Why the Sands complex in Macao? Is that not a bit random?, I hear you ask? Well, it’s not just because the price of parking is cheap and the shrimp is caught daily. The President and COO of Las Vegas Sands, the multinational company that owns the Venetian Arena, is a man called Patrick Dumont, who also happens to be the governor of the Mavericks.
He said he “could not be prouder of having the Mavericks come to Macao and have the team experience the incredible hospitality that Sands properties provide.”
“The success of The NBA China Games 2025 demonstrated the strength of the NBA in creating fan engagement and exciting experiences around the globe,” he added. “The NBA China Games 2026 will be another great opportunity to showcase the league, its world-class athletes and the excitement it brings. I want to thank Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum for their leadership and the Houston Rockets organization for their strong support of The NBA China Games 2026.”
The NBA China Games 2026 are set! The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets will be playing two preseason games at The Venetian Arena in Macao on Friday, Oct. 9 and Sunday, Oct. 11. pic.twitter.com/h8wW2yEyqg
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2026
The Rockets’ inclusion in the series carries its own historical significance. Houston has maintained a special bond with Chinese basketball fans for decades, largely due to the legacy of Yao Ming, the Hall of Famer whose career in Houston helped spark massive interest in the NBA across China.
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