A snapshot of the NBA's Chinese New Year celebration
Updated: 2014-02-07 13:23
By Jack Freifelder in New York (China Daily USA)
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Members of the US Wushu Academy, a Chinese martial arts school with locations in Virginia and Maryland, perform a dragon dance during the halftime of an NBA game between the Washington Wizards and Oklahoma City Thunder. The students performed at the Feb 1 game as part of the NBA's nationwide celebration of Chinese New Year. Cai Chunying / China Daily |
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NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (right) receives his office from former NBA Commissioner David Stern (left) in NBA headquarters in New York on Feb 1. Stern, who retires as the longest tenured commissioner in NBA history, stepped down from his post exactly 30 years to the date of his first day on the job. Provided to China Daily |
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A Chinese dancer performs outside Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on Tuesday before the Golden State Warriors' matchup with the Charlotte Bobcats. Provided to China Daily |
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Children perform as part of the Washington Wizards' Chinese New Year celebration at the Verizon Center in Washington. Joe Dupriest, chief marketing officer for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, the firm that represents the Washington Wizards, said in an interview with China Daily he sees the NBA's Chinese New Year program as "a pillar for international expansion going forward". Cai Chunying / China Daily |
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Washington Wizards' Kevin Seraphin (left), Otto Porter Jr. and Chris Singleton warm up before a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Washington on Feb 1. The Wizards, who won the game 96-81, were one of 10 teams taking part in the National Basketball Association's Chinese New Year celebration. Cai Chunying / China Daily |
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Members of the Yau Kung Moon Kung Fu Association perform a traditional dragon dance during the halftime of the contest between the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats. Provided to China Daily |
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Golden State Warriors small forward Harrison Barnes practices free throws during a warm-up before his team's game against the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday in Oakland, California. Provided to China Daily |
From Jan 28 to Feb 4, the NBA streamed 23 live NBA broadcasts to millions of fans in China, a move timed to coincide with the league's Chinese New Year celebration.
Ten teams around the league took part in the NBA's 2014 Chinese New Year celebration, paying tribute to Chinese culture through in-arena musical performances, showcases of Asian cuisine and Chinese ads.
On Tuesday in Oakland, California, the festivities came to a close with the Charlotte Bobcats' 91-75 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
David Shoemaker, CEO of NBA China, said the Chinese New Year program "has grown substantially in the three short years" that the NBA has run this program.
Advertisements from Chinese sponsors dotted the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, during the game between the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs on Jan 28.
On Feb 1 in Washington - during a matchup of the Washington Wizards and the Oklahoma City Thunder - banners around the stadium read "Happy New Year" and the Jumbotron displayed information about Chinese New Year.
Other outreach projects in China are currently in the works, including the opening of the first-ever NBA Yao School in Beijing later this month.
All of this is to take place under the watch of newly appointed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who took the reins from David Stern on Feb 1 - 30 years to the day that Stern first took office.
Shoemaker, NBA China's CEO, said the opportunity to share Chinese culture with fans in the US is "an important development" for the NBA's outreach efforts.
jackfreifelder@chinadailyusa.com
(China Daily USA 02/07/2014 page14)
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