For the first time in a YEAR, China's state-owned television network has announced it will resume broadcasting NBA games -- starting with Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
Remember, China Central Television pulled ALL NBA games from its network following Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey's tweet in support for Hong Kong protestors in October 2019.
The simple tweet, "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong," ignited a massive crap storm between the league and China.
In fact, NBA commish Adam Silver told us at the time he was working hard to try and repair the relationship.
"We do need to reset with the Chinese government and everybody has to establish what the rules of the road are going to be going forward," Silver told us in October 2019.
Apparently, Silver's efforts worked -- because China credited the NBA with helping out big time during the COVID pandemic ... thanking the league for donating $1 million and medical equipment, according to ESPN.
China's CCTV says in a statement the NBA relief effort was one of the main reasons it decided to put the league back on TV.
"During the recent Chinese National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations, the NBA sent their well wishes to fans in China," CCTV says.
"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."
China picked the right game to get back into business with the NBA -- the Lakers are up 3-1 in the series and many think they'll close out the series in Game 5 on Friday night.