Warriors President & COO Rick Welts said he anticipates that when the team plays a pair of preseason games in China this week, the fandom "will be exponentially larger" than when they played in the NBA Global Games in '08 and '13, according to Mark Medina of the San Jose MERCURY NEWS. The Warriors led the China market last season in "jersey sales, digital viewers per game (4.1 million) and followers on the Chinese social media account, Weibo (3.8 million)." Welts said the fan frenzy "reflects 'more about the mission of the NBA than it is about the mission of the Warriors.'" Medina noted China has "shown the most foreign NBA interest" in terms of exhibition games hosted, TV ratings and social media. Welts added, "The Warriors just happen to be the prettiest girl at the dance right now." Warriors G Stephen Curry had the best-selling jersey in China last season and said that a "mob of fans greeted him at each airport" during his China trips with Under Armour the past three years. Warriors F Kevin Durant has "visited China annually the past seven years to film promotional spots for Nike." Warriors G Klay Thompson this past summer signed a 10-year extension with Chinese shoe brand Anta and "became an Internet sensation as 'China Klay' documented his hilarious missed dunk and various night-club appearances." Thompson said that he has been "showered with gifts" during his visits. Warriors Fs Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green also "sparked crowds when they traveled to China for various clinics" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 10/2).
GOING GLOBAL: Welts: "We want to be China’s team in the NBA. We think we have all of the right factors in play." In S.F., Connor Letourneau noted Welts' goal has been "nearly a decade in the making." When co-Owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber bought the Warriors in '10, they "made a point to honor the Bay Area’s large Chinese American population." The team also began "celebrating Chinese New Year and hosting Asian Heritage Nights." In '13, the Warriors were one of the "first NBA teams to start an account on Sina Weibo, the popular Chinese microblogging service, and to create a website in simplified Chinese." NBA China CEO David Shoemaker said, "Entering this trip, the brand of the Warriors definitely could not be higher. I expect the reaction of our fans and partners to be as great as we’ve ever seen for a team traveling to China" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/1).
