Booker embracing NBA's return to China after six years

VIDEO SHOWS: BROOKLYN NETS AND PHOENIX SUNS’ TRAINING SESSIONS AHEAD OF NBA PRESEASON GAMES IN MACAU /SOUNDBITE FROM PLAYERS AND HEAD COACH  RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: MACAU, CHINA (OCTOBER 9, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. VARIOUS OF BROOKLYN NETS OPENING TRAINING SESSION 2. BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER MICHAEL PORTER JR. SHOOTING DURING TRAINING 3. TRAINING SESSION ONGOING 4. BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER ZENG FANBO ON COURT 5. BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER EGOR DEMIN ON COURT 6. BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER E. J. LIDDELL SITTING AND DRINKING WATER 7. BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER ZIAIRE WILLIAMS ON COURT 8. BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER TERANCE MANN SHOOTING 9. BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER CAM THOMAS SHOOTING 10. BALLS GOING INTO THE BASKET 11. ZENG SHOOTING 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER, CAM THOMAS, SAYING:     “Oh yeah, definitely. Always open to doing that. New opportunities always, you know, come up as part of anything. So it's definitely good to see that and see that it's coming back and see how big, you know, the NBA is here. So I definitely like to see, you know, us, you know, venture out here more. So it's been cool.” 13. SIGNAGE ON COURT Reading (Chinese): “NBA China 2025” 14. TRAINING SESSION ONGOING 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER, EGOR DEMIN, SAYING:     "I think it's great. As I know it, it's the eighth time in China, right,? The NBA? And I mean, I think that's a huge event. No matter where the NBA goes, but especially in China, because of the community here and because how much you guys and the whole (of) Asia love basketball, I think that's really important for the NBA and for China.” 16. BROOKLYN NETS HEAD COACH JORDI FERNANDEZ SPEAKING TO PLAYERS 17. PLAYERS BREAKING HUDDLE 18. PRESS CONFERENCE WITH BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER ZENG FANBO IN PROGRESS 19. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BROOKLYN NETS PLAYER, ZENG FANBO, SAYING:     “I feel blessed, you know, to be a part of this family. Since I was a kid, I was watching on the TV. Right now, it's like a dream come true for me. For me, I'll just enjoy the whole thing, enjoy with my family on the weekend, enjoy a better game. If I got a chance to play, I'll enjoy every single six seconds I get on the court. So I feel blessed.” 20. SCREEN SHOWING BROOKLYN NETS AND PHOENIX SUNS LOGOS 21. PHOENIX SUNS’ PLAYERS LISTENING TO HEAD COACH JORDAN OTT SPEAKING 22. PHOENIX SUNS’ PLAYER DEVIN BOOKER SITTING 23. PLAYERS SITTING 24. PHOENIX SUNS’ PLAYER DEVIN BOOKER ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE 25. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHOENIX SUNS PLAYER,  DEVIN BOOKER, SAYING:     “I think it's super important. Obviously, you know, we have a big fan base out here in China. We have Chinese players in the NBA and, you know, I think basketball without borders is super important, being here on their homeland and letting them see us play in person. You know, I think for the youth and, you know, the next generation of Chinese players, getting this experience on their land will just, you know, open up their inspiration and, you know, make them feel they have a chance.” 26. TRAINING IN PROGRESS 27. PHOENIX SUNS PLAYER MARK WILLIAMS WARMING UP 28. BOOKER WARMING UP 29. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHOENIX SUNS PLAYER,  DEVIN BOOKER, SAYING:     “Yeah, I know it is. Like I said, coming here once before and, you know, getting the experience and, you know, just seeing the reaction, seeing, you know, their faces light up, you know, just upon our arrival. So, you know, it's super important for us, super important for the league to be here in person and doing this.” 30. SIGN ON BOARD READING (Chinese): “NBA China 2025” 31. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHOENIX SUNS PLAYER,  DEVIN BOOKER, SAYING:     “I mean, that was last summer. This past summer was too long for my liking without being in the playoffs. So, you know, I'm eager to get back to it. You know, I'm excited. Obviously, we've had some changes with the roster. We've had some changes with the coaches. You know, so I think it's a big responsibility for me to just be a leader, continue being a leader, and get everybody on the same page so we can start this thing off the right way.” 32. PHOENIX SUNS’ HEAD COACH JORDAN OTT SITTING DOWN AT PRESS CONFERENCE 33. (SOUNDBITE) (English) PHOENIX SUNS’ HEAD COACH, JORDAN OTT, SAYING:    “Yeah, I think just us as the Phoenix Suns being one of those teams to come here, you know, we know that it's an incredible honour and opportunity for us to be here in the country, on this stage with our group. You know, we're early in this training camp, early in the preseason during our second game, second game together, coming here to a place where, you know, many of us have not been. So yeah, just the time together, the flight over, it's a time to for some of our team bonding and then us to get out here in front of these fans. We're really excited.” 34. TRAINING ONGOING 35. VARIOUS OF DIGITAL BOARD READING (Chinese): “NBA China 2025” STORY: The Brooklyn Nets take on the Phoenix Suns in Macau on Friday (October 10) and Sunday (October 12) as the National Basketball Association (NBA) returns to China for the first time since a controversial parting of ways in 2019. The NBA's six-year absence followed a firestorm of controversy around comments made six years ago by the Houston Rockets' then general manager Daryl Morey, who posted a message on social media in support of Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. In the aftermath, Beijing suspended the broadcast of NBA games, prompting corporate sponsors to flee and the league to suffer what it described at the time as dramatic financial consequences. The Suns' four-time NBA All-Star Devin Booker welcomed the return as an opportunity to reconnect with the league's passionate fans in a country where an estimated 300 million people play basketball. "Obviously, we have a big fan base out here in China. We have Chinese players in the NBA and I think basketball without borders is super important," Booker told Reuters on Thursday. "Just seeing the (fans') reaction, seeing their faces light up upon our arrival, it's super important for the league to be here in person and doing this," added the 28-year-old two-time Olympic gold medallist.  The NBA also announced a multi-year partnership with Alibaba ahead of the preseason games in Macau with the Chinese technology giant, whose chairman Joseph Tsai has owned the Nets since 2019, set to provide artificial intelligence and cloud computing services to the league. The Nets and Suns will meet at the Sands' Venetian Arena with the games accompanied by a five-day free-to-enter music, fashion and technology exhibition showcasing the NBA brand. Shaquille O'Neal is among NBA celebrities attending the event, the league said. Sands owner, the U.S. billionaire Adelson family, also own the Texas-based NBA team, the Dallas Mavericks. The casino operator announced its collaboration with the NBA in December 2024 and said it wanted to bring elite basketball directly to Chinese fans. (Production: Joyce Zhou, Conal Quinn)    

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