The NBA donated $2.72 million in medical equipment to China hospitals help the nation’s efforts in fighting the coronovirus, according to Jonathan White of the South China Morning Post.
A separate report from the Morning Post’s Zhuang Pinghui added that the league also gave $1.4 million in virus aid to the Chinese province of Hubei.
China’s state-run CCTV last week reversed a yearlong ban of televising NBA games, framing the decision as a reward for the league’s assistance in fighting the coronavirus pandemic. CCTV broadcast Game 5 of the Finals on Friday, its first NBA telecast of the 2019-20 season.
Along with that, White reported the league opened the world’s largest NBA store world in September.
“Last month they opened the world’s biggest NBA store in Guangzhou, this last week they got 4,000 fans together in Shanghai’s Mercedes-Benz Arena,” White wrote. “Now they are back on television too. Just as they predicted.”
CCTV dropped broadcasts of NBA games last October after Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey tweeted support of Hong Kong protestors and their fight for democracy.
But CCTV released a statement saying the ban had been lifted after the NBA showed goodwill to Chinese fans.
“During the recent Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, the NBA sent their well wishes to fans in China,” CCTV said in the statement. “We also took note of the league has been continuously delivering goodwill [to China], particularly making positive contributions to Chinese people’s fight against COVID-19 pandemic.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver estimated the league lost more than $300 million in 2019-20 as a result of CCTV’s decision to stop airing games, as relayed by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst wrote. It has not been determined if CCTV will begin airing games regularly again next season.
The NBA hired Michael Ma as new head of Chinese operations in the spring. Ma is the son of CCTV Sports founder Ma Guoli.
A wide-ranging ESPN report in July detailed reported player abuse at NBA training academies in China. The league has not released a statement on CCTV’s decision to start re-airing games.
