Folks here love to rip the NBA for placating China, but the truth is the NBA is just doing the same thing that most large American corporations (and Hollywood) do. And, of course, the reason is because access to Chinese markets means outrageous money, and you can only get that access with the approval of the Chinese government.
To the extent the NFL, MLB and NHL don’t do it, that’s only because those sports are not popular in China the way basketball is. If they were, they’d be placating just as much as the NBA. Money always drives the boat in American society.