The Philadelphia 76ers played the Dallas Mavericks as part of NBA China Games 2018.GETTY IMAGES
The NBA Philadelphia 76ers just prior to the start of the regular season embarked on a nine-day trip to China -- the franchise’s first-ever visit to the country -- to participate in this year’s NBA China Games against the Dallas Mavericks in Shanghai and Shenzhen. It marked the second int'l trip for the 76ers this calendar year after playing a January regular-season matchup against the Boston Celtics in London. With four continents represented among the team’s starting five, 76ers CEO Scott O’Neil feels his team is now one of the faces of the “new global NBA.” O’Neil said, “The hotels were mobbed, we could hear ‘let’s go Sixers’ chants down the block. 76ers hats, t-shirts and jerseys were everywhere. It was humbling to see the global nature of the fan base.” O’Neil said that he views this trip as a “starting point, not a finishing point.” He added fans will “see a lot more content in international languages and Mandarin” this season from the 76ers and NHL New Jersey Devils, which are both owned by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment. O’Neil: “There is an insatiable appetite for off-the-court and off-the-ice content -- and given how interested our players are in the market, we think that will be a fun challenge to tackle.”
NUMBERS DON’T LIE: The NBA China Games recorded a cumulative 7 million live viewers and 14.2 million live views from its two games on Tencent, up 32% and 16%, respectively, from Golden State Warriors-Minnesota Timberwolves last year. The Shenzhen game was the most-watched NBA China Game ever on digital in China with 3.5 million viewers. The Shanghai game had 42.7 million unique viewers, making it the most-viewed NBA China Game since ’14 in Beijing (Brookly Nets-Sacramento Kings). Viewership figures for both games were also the highest for NBA China Games in the last five years.
