More elite basketball players from China could emerge and play professionally in the United States after the NBA announced a multi-year deal with its counterpart, the CBA, on Friday.
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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”.
News of the league’s partnership with the Chinese Basketball Association came hours before the first of the NBA China Games between the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns in Macau.
The return of the pre-season encounters in China for the first time since 2019 had already suggested a restoration of the relationship between the NBA and its biggest overseas market was taking place.
While elite player development lies at the heart of the new agreement, the aim is to also raise standards across the sport in China.
In addition, 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 and pre-season WNBA games.
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