NBA Nation, the NBA's largest fan basketball playground and lifestyle touring event, wrapped up its two-month tour of China, giving fans the opportunity to participate in basketball while staying active with NBA players, legends and dance teams.

Covering 14 cities nationwide from July 19 through Sept 14, it's the third consecutive year that the mobile basketball playground came to China.

"I have a shared vision for continuing to develop basketball in China," said Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner during a previous interview with China Daily. "It was so encouraging to see so many boys and girls enjoying themselves with top-notch instructors."

Fans of all ages were also provided with a playground to shoot, slam and dribble while interacting with NBA legends like Glen Rice and current player Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.

Miles Plumlee of the Phoenix Suns and Mason Plumlee of the Brooklyn Nets, Reggie Jackson of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Ben McLemore of the Sacramento Kings also made appearances during the tour in China.

NBA China, partnering with the China Youth Development Foundation, has also conducted NBA FIT clinics nationwide in which NBA players taught students basketball skills and lead them through a series of exercise routines while emphasizing the importance of living an active and healthy lifestyle.

Silver met with Vice-Premier Liu Yandong earlier, discussing a people-to-people exchange involving basketball. Silver told China Daily that they had a shared vision to promote youth programs throughout China, in accordance with the concepts taught at the NBA Yao School. It includes the notion of discipline, hard work and teamwork being instilled in young boys and girls through participation in the sport.

"I personally, and we as a league, consider China our single most important market outside the United States," he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has also called for more communication between China and the United States while urging the two sides to inject "positive energy" into their bilateral ties, ahead of the sixth China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 09/15/2014 page2)