Against all odds, the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets actually played a game earlier today in Shanghai, China, even though it was an NBA game unlike any other. But it may soon have a partner as it looks as though the second game of the Lakers-Nets matchup scheduled for Saturday in Shenzhen also is expected to go on.
The game on Thursday was one that had sponsor logos sanded off the court in the last few days and no advertisements on the panels inside the arena. Also, the Chinese government didn’t allow the Lakers or Nets to have their traditional postgame media availability. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, it’s currently unclear whether the media ban from Thursday will continue to Saturday.
Given all that’s gone on between the NBA and China over the past week, with several Chinese corporations cutting ties with the league, it would be a surprise at this point if the ban on public communication is lifted while the teams are in China for preseason activities. And that’s especially true considering Saturday’s game is in Shenzhen, a major city that borders Hong Kong.
