The NBA will return to China for the first time since 2019 with two preseason games in Macau in October between the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

The return is the culmination of a years-long process to repair relations between the NBA and China after commissioner Adam Silver and the league’s support for free speech after then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted an image in October that Hong Kong protests in 2019.

The rift led to the loss of lucrative sponsorships and the temporary removal of NBA games from Chinese television in 2019, costing the league hundreds of millions in subsequent seasons.

Sources said the relationship has improved in recent years with the support of NBA China CEO Michael Ma, who was hired in 2020.

Silver and Nets owner Joe Tsai, who is also the billionaire co-founder of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, expressed confidence that games would return to China in the near future.

The Macau games will be played at the Venetian Arena, which is part of the Las Vegas Sands conglomerate controlled by the Adelson family, the majority ownership group of the Dallas Mavericks.

According to sources, Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont, chief operating officer and president of the Las Vegas Sands, was a key driver of the NBA’s new Macau partnership. The NBA’s collaboration with the Sands includes new youth development programs and social initiatives in Macau to teach children about basketball and the values ​​of the game.

The NBA’s popularity in China remains strong among fans and basketball is the most popular sport in Macau.

From 2004 to 2019, 17 NBA teams played a total of 28 preseason games in China. The NBA played two preseason games at what is now the Venetian Arena in 2007, when the Orlando Magic took on the Chinese Men’s National Team and the Cleveland Cavaliers.