When the NBA along with its partners announced the formation of the NBA China entity last year, not much was clear on the direction that this project would take.
 
Now well over a year after, the NBA’s strategy in China has taken a concrete form and its intentions are becoming clearer by the day. With the introduction of American style entertainment arenas, and American style reality shows encouraging American style cheerleading and streetball competitions – the NBA is simply copying the exact blueprint that made the league so successful on home …

Ding Hui and Zhang Dayu were two of the hottest talking points in the Chinese sports media this past month. They are  currently the teenage sports stars du-jour in China, and could very well go on to become global stars. There are two main differences that seperate them: the sport which they play, and the color of their skin. These two individuals represent two distinct yet complementary hot topics in China: China’s rise as a sporting superpower, and China’s views of foreigners and minorities. However, their journey towards sports stardom represents a …

OppoNBA Basketball Tournament

After announcing a reality TV show and a cheerleading competition earlier this month, the NBA and electronics manufacturer OPPO have revealed a 3-on-3 basketball tournament for Universities in China. The competition will run from April 25th until July 19th, and 10 cities (15 universities) will be on hand to participate. The three finalist teams will win the opportunity to go to the U.S to experience NBA style training and visiting the L.A. Lakers Staples Center. The final is scheduled to be on the 19th of July in Shanghai, …

Yao Ming is by far China’s best export. He not only is the best Chinese basketball player ever, but quite possibly also has the best personality out of any Chinese celebrity to date. He’s definitely the most amusing Giant of all time, and to prove it I present to you the Top 10 funniest Yao Ming pictures on the internet.
#10: Yao needs to go to the dentist:

#9: Face-Off II: Yao & Bogut

#8: Yao spreads his wings to welcome Shane Battier:

 #7: Yao Ming plays Counter Strike.

#6: Yao Ming uses some questionable …

NBA players Twitter-Like Service for Chinese Fans
 

MogoTXT yesterday announced a service that will allow text messages from Shane Battier to be translated directly into Mandarin for Chinese fans to follow. The service also allows you to follow NBA players such as Jordan Farmar, LaMarcus Aldridge, Spencer Hawes, Eric Gordon and they are planning on expanding coverage to several different sports and even to celebrities.
It doesn’t appear to be the best time to pick a fight with Twitter, but MogoTXT hopes that this kind of service will now give fans a ”sense of …

China Loves Basketball
 
NBA Commissioner David Stern was interviewed yesterday on NBC Sports on a show titled ”China’s passion for basketball”. Stern shared his thoughts on the state of basketball in China, the 1936 Chinese basketball team that participated in the Olympics (who finished 18th out of 23 teams), the NBA’s ambitions in China, and the power of sports and how along with fashion and music is the only area that can truely unite the world.
Best part of the interview no doubt is David Stern cracking a humorous yet potentially risky joke on China and …