Just a reminder to all NBA reality TV show fans that the official Chinese NBA reality show named “Mengniu NBA Basketball Disciple” will air it’s first episode this Friday May 22nd on Shandong TV at 9:30 PM.  It’s the sixth such show from the NBA but only the first from outside of the United States. 

Here’s a detailed rundown of how the show will work, via the Press Release:

Round 1: Public “Open” Tryouts: Aspiring basketball players 18 years and older who are not currently under professional contract in each of the 64 cities are invited to come participate in a basketball skills challenge.  The participants will be awarded points for their performance during dribbling, shooting, layups and defensive drills. The top 50 to 60 participants, based on points, in each city will advance to the second round.

* Round 2: Preliminary Round: A series of one-day elimination events will take place in ten cities attended by an NBA scout in each market.  The scouts will help select two to three players in each city and 24 total participants will advance to the third round.

* Round 3: Training Camp: An NBA assistant coach and NBA legend will host a vigorous three-day NBA-style training camp for the remaining 24 participants. The coach and legend will assign points for different drills including passing and rebounding, offensive concepts and transition, strength and conditioning, shooting, ball handling and defensive concepts. The top 16 participants will advance to the final round – an All-Star Game.

* Round 4: All-Star Game: The eight finalists from southern China compete against the eight finalists from northern China in an All-Star Game.  The player who has accumulated the most points throughout the entire competition, following the All-Star Game, will be named the competition’s Most Valuable Player and win a D-League tryout

The show will be broadcasted in Mandarin , but I will try to get a English subtitled version of it on www.nbainchina.com. Stay tuned for more on this NBA Chinese reality TV show that’s bound to be amusing in one form or another. The official site of the show can be seen here.