As CEO of NBA China, Michael Ma oversees the league’s basketball and business development initiatives in China and is responsible for continuing to grow the popularity of basketball and the NBA throughout the country. He is based in the league’s Beijing office and reports to NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum.
Prior to being appointed to the position in May 2020 by the NBA China Board of Directors, Ma was most recently CEO of Endeavor China, a subsidiary of global sports and entertainment leader Endeavor with Sequoia Capital China and Tencent. As the founding head of Endeavor China, Ma was instrumental in establishing relationships with industry-leading sports and entertainment properties and expanding their reach in China, including with the English Premier League (EPL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the PGA and LPGA Tours, Wimbledon and more.
Before Endeavor China, Ma spent more than a decade with the NBA at the league’s offices in New York City and Beijing. Ma, who initially joined the NBA in 2003 and quickly rose to become Vice President of Global Strategy, helped launch NBA China in 2008 and grow the league’s presence throughout the country through corporate development, sponsorships, media distribution and gaming.
Ma holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Rutgers University.
