TENSIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND NBA ARE 'WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE' - NETS OWNER

Joe Tsai. USA TODAY Sports 

 Joe Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, said the NBA is “in a very good place” in its relationship with China, four years after Beijing took games off air following remarks about the 2019 Hong Kong protests by a team executive.

At a sports convention in Macau on Friday, Tsai said the U.S. basketball league and China, home to 300 million NBA fans, have mended their relationship.

Beijing suspended the broadcast of NBA games in 2019 after Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets team, tweeted in support of anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Chinese state television only resumed broadcasting games about a year later.

NETS FIRE COACH JACQUE VAUGHN AFTER 21-33 START

USA TODAY Sports 

 The Brooklyn Nets fired head coach Jacque Vaughn on Monday after less than two seasons.

The Nets are currently 21-33, the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference amid the All-Star break. They lost five of their last six heading into All-Star weekend.

Brooklyn signed Vaughn to a multi-year contract extension in February 2023.

The team said an interim coach will be named "in the near future."

"This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward," Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. "Jacque has represented this organization with exemplary character and class for the past eight years. The consistent positivity and passion he poured into our team daily will remain with the players and staff he interacted with throughout his tenure."

NET CEO BRETT YORMACK STEPS DOWN A MID CHANGE IN OWNERSHIP

Nets CEO is stepping down after being in the helm for a dacade...