Pushing its rising international profile, the NBA China Games embarks on its third pre-season exhibition tour with the Milwaukee Bucks and Golden State Warriors as the featured teams this fall.
The Bucks will play exhibition games against the Warriors in Guangzhou and in Beijing at the Olympics Basketball Arena in October. Both games will be televised live in China.
NBA Cares, the league’s social responsibility arm, will lend a hand with earthquake relief efforts in Sichuan Province with a series of activities and events to support rebuilding efforts and give recognition to rescue workers.
Marketing partners for the tour are not yet finalized, but soon to be announced, according to NBA spokesman Rick Pendrick. That lineup will likely include Chinese computer maker Lenovo, which has a long-term marketing deal with the league.
The NBA Jam Van is currently making a 26-city tour of China as a prelude to the pre-season games.
No grassroots tournament competition is planned for this year’s tour. But the NBA is clearly intent to keep its brand top-of-mind among the estimated 3 million basketball enthusiasts who currently play the sport in China.
The NBA has established a partnership with the Chinese Basketball Association, which produced Houston Rockets star center Yao Ming.
China is currently the largest NBA market outside the U.S., generating a reported $50 million in revenue last year. The NBA drew $430 million in merchandise sales overseas last year, representing 20% of its overall merchandising sales.
NBA has reported exceeding expectations for jersey sales in China by 70% over the past year. NBA jerseys are sold in approximately 50,000 retail outlets around the country.
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