WNBA game in China could happen ‘very soon’, NBA boss Adam Silver says
But the league boss says discussions over the WNBA collective bargaining agreement need to be resolved first
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said a WNBA game in China is likely to happen “very soon,” but the league must first address the expiring collective bargaining agreement.
Talking with CNBC during the first of two NBA pre-season games in Macau over the weekend, Silver was asked when a WNBA game in the country might take place.
“We have to get through a new collective bargaining agreement with our players,” Silver said. “But once we do, there’s so much interest in women’s basketball here, I think we’d love to bring a WNBA game to Macau or to mainland China.”
The WNBA has held pre-season games in countries including Mexico and the United Kingdom, and the league staged its first regular-season game outside the United States when the Seattle Storm faced the Atlanta Dream in Vancouver on August 15.
While the WNBA has yet to play an official game in Asia, the NBA announced a multi-year partnership with the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) that includes the country’s men’s and women’s national teams receiving opportunities to train and compete in the United States.
The pact also includes Chinese teams taking part in the NBA Summer League and pre-season WNBA games.