The NBA’s entity that conducts all of the league’s businesses in greater China was formed in January 2008 after its first office opened in Hong Kong in 1992. The NBA has interacted with Chinese basketball for decades, including first hosting the Chinese National team in 1985. The NBA currently has relationships with a strong network of television and digital media outlets in China, including a partnership of more than 25 years with national broadcaster CCTV. The league hosts hundreds of touring basketball events for fans, conducts community enrichment programs, and maintains marketing partnerships with a combination of world-class China-based corporations and U.S.-based multinationals.

NBA China is headquartered in Beijing and also has offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. NBA licensed products such as apparel and footwear are available through various retail networks and authorized online stores on e-commerce and social media platforms, including Tmall.com, JD.com and WeChat. In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to play games in China, with two games between the Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings in Shanghai and Beijing. Following NBA Global Games China 2016, 13 NBA teams will have played 22 games in Greater China.