In China, "the NBA is king," according to Jace Frederick of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. The league has 33 million followers on Weibo, "a social media application in China that resembles Twitter, compared to 26.5 million Twitter followers." No other major U.S. sport’s Weibo account has 1 million followers (the NFL has 780,000). Across all social media applications, the NBA has 136 million followers in China. NBA China CEO David Shoemaker said that "enthusiasm and engagement with the NBA across China is at an all-time high." That "is saying something, because the relationship between the NBA and its fans in China is one that has developed over decades." Shoemaker: "There's no sports league that has that kind of history in China. And that’s gone a long way toward creating generations of NBA addicts all across China." Following this year’s Global Games, the NBA will have played 24 games in Greater China since '04, "all of which will have been sell-outs." Three-hundred million people in China play basketball, according to the Chinese Basketball Association. More than 700 million viewers watched NBA programming on TV in China last season. Due to the 12-hour time difference between N.Y. and Shanghai, "most NBA games are played" between 6am and 10am in China. Minnesota Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau "got a front-row seat to the explosion of Chinese interest in the NBA." He made numerous trips to China with former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming during his time as an assistant coach in Houston. Thibodeau: "It’s amazing. They love the game and they’re really into it. I think Yao had a lot to do with that just the way he carried himself and the career that he had" (PIONEER PRESS, 9/29).
'CHINA'S TEAM': In San Jose, Calif., Mark Medina reported Golden State 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 it played in the NBA Global Games in '08 and '13. The Warriors led the China market last season in jersey sales, digital viewers per game (4.1 million) and followers on Weibo (3.8 million). Welts said that the fan frenzy reflects "more about the mission of the NBA than it is about the mission of the Warriors." 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 guard 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 forward Kevin Durant has "visited China annually the past seven years to film promotional spots for Nike." Warriors guard 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 forwards Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green also "sparked crowds when they traveled to China for various clinics" (MERCURY NEWS, 10/2). In San Francisco, Connor Letourneau reported Welts said, "We want to be China’s team in the NBA. We think we have all of the right factors in play." 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," and to create a website in "simplified Chinese." 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).
