ZTE helps Cavs celebrate New Year

Updated: 2016-02-09 14:25

By Hezi Jiang in Cleveland(China Daily USA)

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LeBron James and his Cavaliers teammates entered the court in their brand new Chinese New Year uniforms to the cheers of 20,000 fans.

The Cavs hosted a Chinese New Year Celebration for a home game at Quicken Loans Arena against the Sacramento Kings on Monday - the first day of the Year of the Monkey.

With luck and wishes from China, the Cavs toppled the Kings 120-100.

It's the fi rst time the Cavaliers held a Chinese New Year title game and smartphone provider ZTE became the first Chinese company to celebrate this traditional Chinese festival with the Cleveland fans.

"We are starting a new tradition at Cleveland," said Cheng Lixin, CEO of ZTE USA.

A dragon dance took place during the first quarter before Cheng Lei, Chinese deputy consul general in New York, presented a T-shirt to Len Komoroski, Cavalier's CEO, in the middle of the court.

When James threw the first ball through the hoop, the big screen showed his name in Chinese characters.

Courtside signage and LED displays featured "Happy Chinese New Year" wishes in both Mandarin and English. Cartoons of the monkey decorated the napkins and plates used at the arena.

"The Chinese New Year symbolizes enthusiasm, passion and inspiration, all characteristics of our organization and fans," said Komoroski.

"Basketball is a sport that is very popular in both the US and China, and can be used as a bridge to share our culture and traditions," said Cheng. "We were proud to partner with the Cavaliers for this event and act as a Chinese cultural ambassador in celebrating the Year of the Monkey with the Cleveland community."

NBA games are the most watched professional sport in China and basketball is played by more than 300 million people across the country, according to the NBA. The Cavaliers currently have more than 1.4 million followers on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

Monday's New Year game was broadcast live on the China Central Television's sports Channel.

After Cleveland's 61-45 halftime lead, the Cavaliers Girls performed a Chinese dance. The popular Chinese American Acrobat, Red Panda, appeared to cheers from the audience.

As James and the Cavaliers fight for the crown after last season's disappointment, its partner ZTE, currently the fourth-largest smartphone supplier in the US, is also working toward the top spot - of the mobile phone industry.

To reach more American users, ZTE has been working aggressively with the NBA as an offi cial sponsor of five NBA teams: the Houston Rockets, the New York Knicks, the Golden State Warriors, the Chicago Bulls and the Cavs.

"When we look for partners, we always look for partners who share the same aspiration," said Cheng. "The Cavaliers, being a very strong NBA team, want to be the champion on the basketball court, just as ZTE wants to be the champion in our mobile industry."

ZTE's brand awareness reached to 34 percent in 2015 in the US, rising from 1 percent two years ago when it first started sport sponsorship, according to Cheng, who said the company expects the number to double in 2016.

Wu Guangxi and Jessie Peng, two Chinese students at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, bought tickets to game without knowing about the special Lunar New Year theme.

"We are so excited," said Wu. "It's like winning a lottery."

hezijiang@chinadailyusa.com

 ZTE helps Cavs celebrate New Year

A logo of the "Chinese New Year Celebration" and the Chinese characters of “Go Cavaliers" appear on screens throughout the Cleveland Cavaliers game against the Sacramento Kings on Monday at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. It's the fi rst time that the Cavaliers held a Chinese New Year-title game.

(China Daily USA 02/09/2016 page2)

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