The NBA is returning to China, half a decade after a tweet sparked a firestorm in the league’s second-most lucrative country.

According to ESPN, the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns will play two preseason games in Macau next October.

The Nets are owned by Chinese billionaire Joe Tsai, and the game will reportedly be played at the Venetian Arena, which is controlled by the Adelson family, which also owns the majority of the Dallas Mavericks. The Adelsons’ company will also reportedly work with the NBA on new youth development programs and social initiatives in Macau.

ESPN is calling the games the result of a years-long process to repair the league’s relationship with China. NBA China CEO Michael Ma has reportedly been helpful since he was hired in 2020.

The NBA’s China controversy gripped the league in 2019

The NBA’s troubles began on October 4, 2019, when then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey posted a picture that read “Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong” was published. amid a series of protests in the special administrative regions against the Chinese government.

The NBA responded by immediately distancing itself from the tweet, as did Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta. Morey, now president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers, later deleted the tweet and clarified that the statement only reflected his personal views, but that single criticism still sparked the full wrath of the Chinese government.

NBA games were removed from the country’s television broadcasts and the Rockets became taboo overnight, despite being the team of national hero Yao Ming. The league played 28 preseason games in China from 2004 to 2019, but hasn’t played a single one since The Tweet.

The NBA’s response also became a domestic political issue, as lawmakers on both sides sharply criticized the league for allowing China to stifle the free speech of an American citizen. In the weeks that followed, there was no shortage of protests at games.