Sands China announces long-term partnership to bring NBA to Macau

Sands China Limited (SCL) has announced a multi-year partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to bring world-class basketball to Macau.

The newly inked partnership aims to bring NBA preseason matches and other complementary initiatives annually in Macau.

According to the agreement, SCL will host two preseason games per year over the next five years at the newly revamped Venetian Arena.

The Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will kick off this partnership, with two games in October next year.

Details were provided by NBA’s deputy commissioner Mark Tatum during a media roundtable held at the Londoner Macau. The first game will take place Oct. 10, with a second game Oct. 12.

At the same event, Patrick Dumont, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp., said, “This is a very exciting day for us. We’ve been working on this for a long time. It’s a big dream of ours to be able to bring international sports and entertainment to Macau.”

“What better way to bring sports to Macau than to bring the best sport in the world, which is basketball? We’re very proud that we have this partnership with the NBA. It’s a multi-year, long term partnership. It’s about investment in Macau’s future, it’s about driving high-value tourism, it’s about driving sports, the usual dialogue, and all kinds of fun things around basketball,” he added.

Tatum unveiled the details of the games, noting, “I’m excited to announce that next October, the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns will be returning to China to play games here as part of this partnership with Sands,” he said. “Basketball has a long history here, and it is an exciting day. We have a large number of fans in this area who love the game of basketball. It’s the number one sport here.” He remarked that the Nets and Suns teams are also very popular in Macau, mainland China, and Hong Kong.

Tatum noted that the partnership also significantly incorporates elements of corporate social responsibility for both companies, noting that players like Kevin Durant, Dennis Schröder (a world champion from the 2023 World Cup), Devin Booker (an Olympian and all-star) would attend. “This event will give the opportunity for fans in Macau and throughout the region to see the world’s best basketball players in addition to the game. This partnership is also about giving back to the community.”

Grant Chum, CEO and president of Sands China, noted that with the signing of this multi-year partnership with the NBA, SCL will be bringing a whole series of landmark and iconic events, sporting content, and related lifestyle events to Macau.

“Through this multi-year partnership, we are looking to take Macau’s tourism and sports strategy to a new level,” Chum said. “I think you’ve heard a lot about Macau’s direction in tourism in conjunction with conventions, retail, and sports, and we believe the strategy works both ways. We are bringing internationally renowned sporting events, such as the NBA games, to Macau to enhance the tourism landscape. At the same time, we believe the sporting spectacle and events will also be enhanced by the broader hospitality and integrated resort tourism landscape. The intention is that people will be able to enjoy the best of hospitality, entertainment, retail, food, and beverage, together with these great sporting events, the spinoff lifestyle, and indeed mice events that will arise out of this great partnership.”

Remarking on the company’s social responsibility aspect, Chum also added that this is also a key focus for SCL, stating that this would not be restricted to the time of the games (between September and October annually), but would extend throughout the year through various opportunities to engage with the local community, promote youth sports, and leverage the league’s global social responsibility program, NBA Cares, with the Sand Cares program.

The SCL CEO also remarked that the extensive revamp of the Venetian Area, which was highly praised by NBA officials, is a source of pride for Sands and the significant investment in the facility is “a key part of our integrated resort.”

Partnership helping to build cityís reputation

The partnership between SCL and the NBA aims to build Macau’s reputation as a regular host of major world-class sports events.

“By bringing this international sporting experience and associated lifestyle events to Macau, we expect to boost tourism and attract international visitors,” Chum explained. “Over a number of years, this partnership will help to build the city’s reputation as a host for globally recognized events, particularly in sports. We expect Macau’s profile and reputation will continue to flourish and we are thrilled to contribute to that.”

Chum also noted that the collaboration between SCL and the NBA was smooth, driven by a shared passion for excellence and innovation and a desire to engage with local communities. He stated that both parties appreciated the synergies that result for each organization as a result of this partnership.

Challenges of hosting regular-season NBA games in Macau

When asked about the possibility of hosting regular season NBA-games in Macau, in addition to preseason games, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum explained that logistical challenges, particularly related to travel time, make it difficult to schedule such games.

The NBA official explained that the regular season has a very high density of games, which in some cases also forces teams to travel significant distances. To host games out of the US, particularly in locations with a large time zone difference, would create serious problems for teams.

“We know that travel time and jetlag directly affects performance. It’s not just about Asia but also all the other places in very different time zones.”

This same challenge also applies to hosting the NBA All-Star Games, which already has a long list of places eager to host these events, but faces the same challenge of relocating equipment to ensure that the games are hosted at the same quality and standard as in the US. RM