The NBA preseason started around October 4, and it was on a global stage. Some teams played in the US, while the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers played two games against each other in Mumbai, India. India hosted its first two NBA preseason games at the NSCI dome in Mumbai, and some of the credit goes to Vivek Ranadive. Vivek is the owner of the Sacramento Kings, and he is of Indian descent. Larry Bird; Detlef Schrempf; and Jason Williams were in Mumbai to watch their former teams play against each other. Both teams made some fantastic memories in India. Next, the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors played a pair of games in Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The Toronto Raptors do not have Danny Green, or Kawhi Leonard as both players are gone through free agency/trade. The Houston Rockets added Russell Westbrook, but lost Chris Paul in a trade. Westbrook and James Harden are friends since their childhood days. The Raptors are favored to make the NBA playoffs out of the East, but NBA analysts should not see them in the NBA finals or eastern conference finals. The NBA games in Japan were a success. In contrast, the LA Lakers and Brooklyn Nets played a pair of games in Shanghai. Kyrie Irving suffered an injury in the first game, and he will miss the 2nd game. The NBA games in China are not about the games, but more about the NBA supporting the Hong Kong protests. China is a communist country that is dealing with the Hong Kong protests, and Daryl Morey tweeted his support of the protests on twitter. Morey is the general manager of the Houston Rockets, and he used his freedom of speech wisely. Adam Silver is the current NBA commissioner, and he applauded Morey for expressing his opinion on the Hong Kong protests. Recently, the US and China were locked in a trade war over the past handful of months. Today, the US has reached a phase 1 deal with China that will delay any further tariffs. After Daryl Morey's tweet, a few Chinese businesses that supported the NBA decided to withdraw their sponsorship and support. The NBA cares had to cancel some events in China, after the Chinese companies withdrew their support of the NBA. Chinese TV decided to stop the broadcast of both NBA preseason games in Shanghai. In this penultimate paragraph, let's discuss these three Asian economic stalwarts. China is the 2nd largest economy in the world, and it is the largest economy by GDP in Asia. Japan is the 2nd largest economy in Asia, and the country is host of the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo that start in July of next year. India is the 3rd largest economy in Asia, and it is the 2nd most popolous country in the world. If the global economy tips into recession in 2020, then Asia would be hit by rising unemployment; slowing economic growth; and a dearth in manufacturing. In closing, the NBA is a global sport and a huge entertainment platform that can expand to other continents. The NBA preseason could start playing games in Africa and South America. Brazil and South Africa are two countries that Adam Silver should consider, for playing future games. The NBA might play a regular season game in Paris, or Barcelona. The NBA plays regular season games in London and Mexico City already. Hope the audience enjoyed G. Ripley's post on the NBA; world geography; and recent political events. Enjoy the picture of Nagpada, a neighborhood in Mumbai that has tried to raise awareness of basketball on a global level.
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