The NBA will return to China for the first time since 2019 with two preseason games in Macao between the Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns in October, sources told ESPN on Thursday. The return is the culmination of a yearslong process to repair the relationship between the NBA and China following commissioner Adam Silver and the league's support for freedom of expression after then- Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted an image that supported protests in Hong Kong in October 2019. The divide led to the loss of lucrative sponsorships and the temporary removal of NBA games from Chinese broadcast television in 2019, which cost the league hundreds of millions in the ensuing seasons. Sources said the relationship has improved over the past several years with the assistance 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, have expressed...