Alibaba Cloud has been named NBA China’s cloud computing and AI partner as the basketball league returns for the first time in six years.
Published October 9, 2025
The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba have announced a multi-year partnership to host two games in Macau to mark the league’s return to the Chinese market for the first time since 2019.
Alibaba Group announced Thursday that it will provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the NBA to enhance the fan experience on the NBA app in China.
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Alibaba Cloud will become NBA China’s official cloud computing and AI partner, the company said.
The NBA will play two preseason games in the China Special Administrative Region on Friday and Sunday as part of a five-year deal with the Las Vegas Suns’ Macau affiliate, the Suns China.
The game will be the first time the NBA has played in Macau, the world’s largest gambling center, and the first time in years the game will be played amid controversy over the 2019 Hong Kong protests.
The Macau game is aimed at raising the profile of the NBA in China, where the league estimates about 300 million people play basketball amid heightened political tensions between the United States and China.
The NBA’s absence comes after a heated controversy six years ago over then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s social media posts supporting Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement.
In the aftermath, the Chinese government suspended broadcasts of NBA games, corporate sponsors fled, and the league suffered what was described at the time as a dramatic economic fallout. NBA preseason games in China have also been canceled.
NBA games are being held on the grounds of the Suns Venetian, and Shaquille O’Neal will be among the NBA celebrities attending the event, the league announced.
The Suns are owned by the American billionaire Adelson family, who also own the Dallas Mavericks, an NBA team based in Texas.
The Brooklyn Nets, owned by Alibaba Chairman Joseph Tsai, will face the Phoenix Suns in a sold-out arena.
High expectations are placed on Chinese rookies this NBA season. Jan Hansen is a 7-foot-1 draft pick who is expected to play for the Portland Trail Blazers this season.
He’s excited that the NBA is finally back there.
“First of all, I want to say that playing for the Blazers is great for me. I want to make sure to bring all the players, management and coaches to China in the future,” he said with the assistance of an interpreter.
“Certainly, I would like to have more matches in China. … It works perfectly for me.”
