Last week I mentioned Yao’s intentions of having a part-ownership role in the Shanghai Sharks, but as it turns out all the owners have agreed to sell their shares of the team, making Yao the sole owner of the Shanghai Sharks.
The deal supposedly will cost Yao ming just under 3 million dollars – which looks like a bargain if I’ve ever seen one. Shanghai is shaping up to be the most important city in Asia, and owning the city’s proffesional basketball team is surely an investment worthy of the 20 million …

North Korea’s next leader to be, Kim Jong-il’s third son Kim Jong-un, is said to be a big fan of NBA basketball. Kim has never been photographed by Western Media and despite being Swiss educated he has for the most part avoided Western influences.

However much like his father, Kim Jong Un is said to enjoy popular culture and is apparently a fan of NBA basketball. Why is this important you might ask?

Right after writing my take on Kobe vs LeBron and it’s effect on China, I noticed over at ESPN’s Truehoop Blog there was a similar debate going on trying to gauge whether it was Kobe Bryant or LeBron James who should be labeled “the best player in the world in 2009″. You should check it out , it’s an interesting discussion and there’s certainly some good points brought to the table.
But I was really surprised to see no one break down what winning a championship really comes down to. When …

Kobe and LeBron are the two best basketball players of this decade – this no one can argue. Naturally Kobe and LeBron are also the two favorite players in the world among fans. For China this is no different, as Kobe LeBron  and naturally Yao Ming are the three favorite players of China.
However, China’s love for Kobe Bryant is far greater than that of LeBron James at the moment. This can be associated with the vast array of moves that he performs each and every night, and his demeanor on …

 
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 …