Eight Indian coaches selected to attend NBA China Games in Shanghai and Shenzhen

The 2018 NBA preseason is underway, and per their annual tradition, the NBA will be holding two exhibition games in China this month. The 2018 NBA China Games will feature back to back matchups between the Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks in Shanghai (October 5) and Shenzhen (October 8). Like every year, these games provide an amazing opportunity for NBA to feed their growing popularity among Chinese fans.

This year, the NBA is lending out a hand to some basketball lovers in India, too.

Eight Indian coaches from around the country, based on their performances at the various Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA programme events this year, have been selected to travel to China to attend the NBA China Games. The coaches will take part in the NBA Fan Day event in Shanghai on October 4 and then attend the two games in Shanghai and Shenzhen later in the week.

Indian coaches travelling to China for this programme include Jose Sebastian (Thiruvanathapuram), Shabana Patel (Mumbai), Ravi Kumar (Bengaluru), Ganesh Prabhu (Chennai), Ishwar (New Delhi), Tua Ghatak (Kolkata), Ibrahim Rose Khan (Hyderabad), and Ravinder Kaur (Punjab).

"It was quite unexpected and took me by surprise," said Sebastian to The New Indian Express. "I think this is a reward for all the hard work I have put in over the years. We will be watching two games of the highest standard and also meeting with coaches from across the globe -- all valuable experiences that I can put to good use in my coaching."

Even though its just the preseason, the coaches will be hoping to relish some top-notch NBA action and glean from coaches like Brett Brown and Rick Carlisle on the sidelines. Plus, there are so many more questions to consider before the start of the NBA season from the two participating teams. Will Embiid have social media access in China? Can Fultz shoot again? Does Simmons want to shoot? Is Nowitzki going to play? Will Doncic showcase his potential for being the rookie of the year?

2014 NBA China Games: Sights, quotes, & thoughts from covering Nets vs. Kings in Beijing

It's the ultimate juxtaposition of China: inside the glitzy MasterCard center in Beijing - the 18,000 seating arena which was host to the 2008 Olympics basketball tournament - are some of the biggest names in the basketball world. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is around. The Sacramento Kings' billionaire owner (and India-born) Vivek Ranadive is in attendance. Former hoops legends like Shaquille O'Neal, Yao Ming, Vlade Divac, Chris Mullin, Peja Stojakovic and more make special appearances. Former and future NBA All Stars like Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and DeMarcus Cousins are on the rosters. Everything from the cheerleaders and the mascots to the in-arena music and the kiss-cam feels imported.

Yet, the event rarely loses it's distinct and refreshing sense of Chinese-ness. The chants of 'Brook-lyn' come accompanied by creative fan chants in Mandarin. Old 'Lao Ren' dance along to traditional Chinese music. Outside the arena, the 'unofficial' ticket sellers swarm you as you make your way in and the counterfeit Nets and Kings jerseys sell quicker than the originals inside. With the Sacramento Kings and the Brooklyn Nets playing pre-season games in Shanghai and Beijing, the NBA once again came to China this off-season. And while the Nets swept the 2014 China Games tour 2-0, it was the passion for the game of the Chinese fans that was the real winner.

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It's become the NBA's annual ritual now, ever since the Kings were here China 10 years ago for the country's first exhibition game against Yao Ming's Houston Rockets in 2004. The NBA China Games have been getting bigger and better every year, and the tried-and-tested format brings two teams every October for back-to-back pre-season games in Beijing and Shanghai. In between, the players, teams, and coaches also manage to squeeze in cultural experiences and charity 'NBA Cares' events.

This year, the Nets won the first game in Shanghai in a close contest, 97-95. They came to Beijing next, and over two days, held open practices, a charity event, and finally, the big game. I was present for the practices to catch some of the players for quick interviews and was able to attend the game on Wednesday, October 15th to see the two teams in action.

Practice and Media Availability - October 14

The Nets took the court first, and by the time the media was allowed in, we caught up practicing some half-court sets, led by point guard Deron Williams. After several indifferent years since his departure from the Jazz, Williams is looking ahead at this season with more optimistic eyes, and his play in China will surely be encouraging to new Head Coach Lionel Hollins. Meanwhile, as he enters his 19th NBA season, Kevin Garnett may have slowed down in his speed but showed no speed-bumps in his passion and intensity for the game. Some of the young players on the Nets side along with Sacramento Kings' legends Peja Stojakovic and Vlade Divac held an NBA Cares clinic after the first practice. The Kings' squad came in next to prepare for the game next. The Kings' roster included Canadian big man Sim Bhullar, the first player of Indian-descent signed into the league. I will be posting a longer Q&A with Bhullar on the blog over the next few days.

Here are a few soundbites from the players after practice:

Brook Lopez - Nets

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"I've just been rehabbing and getting ready [to bounce back from last year's injury]. I'm very excited for the season to start and thankfully it's finally upon us."

"There's always an adjustment with a new coach. It's something we've been through before. But Lionel knows so much about the game, and there's a mature, intelligent group of assistants as well to help make the transition relatively easy for all of us."

"I've seen a lot of different things [in the new teammates]. I think the most important thing is that this is an unselfish group, has a high basketball IQ, plays hard on the floor, and knows what it takes to win."

Andrei Kirilenko - Nets

"It's gonna be the 13th or 14th season for me in the NBA. Time flies! Every preparation is a little bit different - this year we came to China. It's a great experience here. We have a chance to really see our Chinese fans. We got about two more weeks now and I think we'll be ready for the season."

"My offseason was pretty good. I spent a lot of time with my family and of course working out by myself. Working out without basketball. No international play this offseason - I'm done with that. Getting older! In the middle of August I came back to New York and spent a month and a half with the team's trainer working out for the season."

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"I think we have a capable team. It's all on us right now - how well can we find the connection during the season because we got a new coach. We got a new system. I'm familiar with the system but there are a lot of things more to work on."

"Our season's goals are definitely the playoffs. Last year we made the playoffs and lost in the second round. But I think we can play better than that. Our goal is to be in the playoffs and play as well as we can."

Kevin Garnett - Nets

"The fact this this (basketball) is my job is a plus. Everyday I get to come and hoop and play with great guys and be around cool people. This is like a fantasy for me. As long as I'm able to play and as long as I'm able to contribute to a team, then I'll play."

Mason Plumlee - Nets

"It was a great offseason. I had a lot of fun in the Summer League and the FIBA World Cup. But now, it's a new team, new staff. I'm getting adjusted. Just starting fresh. I had a great experience but you have to set that aside and move forward now."

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"The FIBA tournament was a different style of game. You have to take advantage of it in different ways. Setting better screens, playing more team ball, so that's a good thing to take back with you to your franchise."

"There will be more asked of me [with the Nets this season]. I'm looking forward to that. I think I'll play more minutes. And then I think I'll have more opportunities offensively. So those are the things I should prepare for."

[On fans expecting a bigger scoring output from him]. "Yes, and more rebounding. Everything should be up one level."

Derrick Williams - Kings

"As of right now, Coach [Mike Malone] wants me to be aggressive and be one of the spark-plugs on this team. He wants me to come off the bench right now and score the ball. My goal for this season is to try and win the Most Improved Player award. I believe I can actually win that."

"We have a lot of different ways of playing that Coach wants me to play. When we play small-ball, he wants me to use my speed and quickness against forwards. Even when we go big, with a lineup of myself, Rudy [Gay], Cuz [DeMarcus Cousins], JT [Jason Thompson], we can all interchange 2-3-4. It'll be hard to guard when you have three or four guys who are 6-8/6-9 on the floor. Not so many teams have guys that can guard us like that."

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"I'm from right outside of Los Angeles. It's always good to be home and play against the Clippers and Lakers. I have a lot of family that can come to the games. It's always good to have support from your family and friends."

Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings - October 15

Despite all the bigger names on the sidelines of each roster, the result of the game eventually came down to the contributions of both teams' bench mobs, all of whom were given the exposure they needed in the preseason to raise their confidence level for the game. Kevin Garnett and DeMarcus Cousins - the two most anticipated names for the fans in Beijing - both earned DNP-CDs in the game and watched as hype-men from the bench. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see Sim Bhullar in action for the Kings either: Coach Malone had the team playing a faster offense all game without Cousins and the slow, half-court style pace of Bhullar earned no minutes either.

Garnett was by far the most-loved player on court, and fans chanted his name at every timeout or every possibility of a substitution. Alas! Coach Lionel Hollins didn't grant the wishes of the good people of Beijing, and Garnett never checked into the game. KG's fan-following here is quite remarkable: his was clearly the most popular jersey in attendance, and his shoe deal with Chinese company ANTA has see him return to China often over the last few years.

The Nets heavily relied on their European starting duo of the Bosnian Mirza Teletovic and the Croatian rookie Bojan Bogdanovic. Mirza and Bojan put up a ball-moving clinic, creating offense with flair and efficiency all game. Teletovic had a game-high 22 points.

Derrick Williams of the Kings had stated his Most Improved Player desires a day earlier, but early foul trouble kept limited him to just 18 minutes and 10 points in the game.

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Between the likes of Brook Lopez, Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, Kevin Garnett, Mason Plumlee, Teletovic, Bogdanovic, Jarret Jack, and Sergey Kasarev, the Nets have a lot of depth of average to above-average players. But unless Lopez, Johnson, or Williams take a superstar turn, the depth alone might not be enough to help them from improving on last year's second-round exit.

Quick Kevin Garnett tangent: KG fist-bumps everyone, including every last guy on the bench, the coaching staff, the referees before the game, and even the towel boys and ball boys.

During a timeout, Beijing honours Sacramento Kings legends Mitch Richmond, Vlade Divac, and Peja Stojakovic. Shaquille O'Neal sat on the sidelines and earned numerous cheers, as did Kings' adviser and former NBA legend Chris Mullin. China's greatest ever star Yao Ming was in attendance too.

For the Kings, Rudy Gay seemed to be the most impressive and aggressive player, finishing with 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and showcasing a incredibly impressive mid-range shot all night.

Deron Williams hates the ankles of all opposing players. He particularly tortured Ramon Sessions with four straight crossovers in the game. Williams drew quite a few 'aahs' and 'oohs' for his antics all night.

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1st half action from Beijing between the Nets & the Kings #SacramentoKings #BrooklynNets #NBAChinaGames #Beijing

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The Nets staged a second half comeback and took a late lead in the game, but a clutch three-pointer by Omar Casspi tied the score at 112 all with 10 seconds left in regulation, and the game soon headed to overtime. Brooklyn took control of the extra period, outscoring Sacramento 17-5 and finishing with a 129-117 win.

Both teams have already flown out of China now, and although this was 'only' the preseason and the stats or records don't matter, trips like these end up having a far more intangible cultural influence. The league's biggest international fanbase gets another chance to see some of the league's top players - as well as many up-and-coming stars up close and personal. Plus, for the team themselves, there is no better opportunity to bond than a long road trip: with both squads ambitious to make a steady improvement for the coming season, the China trip would have served as a great cauldron for better team chemistry.

Next year, a couple more teams will be back, with glitz and glamour and high-quality NBA action. But as always, China will remain true to its character, and it is that distinct character which will offer a tidbit in shaping the evolving face of the NBA, too.

Most Wanted

Citizens of China are playing - and watching - basketball in record numbers, so it only makes sense and that the NBA and sneaker brands send star players over there all summer long to feed the growing demand.

I wrote this feature for SLAM Magazine's KICKS Issue and it was originally published in KICKS # 17 - 2014

“Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!”

The chant fanned out like fire-flames amidst the 17,000 NBA devotees packed inside the MasterCard Center in Beijing, China, watching the Lakers play the Warriors in the first of their two pre-season exhibition games in the country last October. Fans had flocked the arena, presumably with allegiances to both teams. When it came down to it, though, attendees in every colour jersey started chanting Kobe’s name.

Thing is, Bryant wasn’t in the game at the time. Matter of fact, he wasn’t dressed for the game at all. The future Hall of a Famer was on the bench in a business suit, still nursing his healing Achilles tendon. The chants continued nevertheless.

Outside the arena, following a 100-95 Warriors win, Beijing briefly turned into bizzaro version of Los Angeles. Kobe jerseys, T-shirts, hats, mouse pads, iPhone covers, bags, scarves, and other merchandise. The subways, especially, were full of fans of all ages in Kobe jerseys. The NBA may have held the game at a neutral venue, but with the Black Mamba on hand, the Lakers were always going to be the home team.

The love wasn’t a surprise for Bryant; he has been to China quite a few times over the past decade. In fact, so have the majority of the League’s biggest names. Every yaer, between the summer and late fall, apparel and sneaker companies send their stars on marketing runs to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, and other more remote Chinese locations.

Over the past few years two years alone, the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin, Rajon Rondo, Chandler Parsons and several other players, including Bryant, have seen the word CHINA stamped on their passport thanks, in part, to their sneaker affiliations.

“China is really our number two market,” said Yuron White, the VP/General Manager for Greater China, in a conversation with SLAM, “China has shown love to basketball and greeted NBA fans like local heroes, which is why it has made sense for us to keep bringing NBA players to the country.”

“The sport is growing in China,” adds All Star Damian Lillard, who was part of adidas’ fantastic foursome of point guards – along with John Wall, Jrue Holiday, and Ricky Rubio – to visit China last summer. “It’s a great opportunity for us to come over here and experience how passionate the fans here are. They are huge fans of us but they don’t have access to us the way the people in America do. For us to come over here, it’s an experience for us and for them. I see people wearing my jersey, or knowing my first name. It’s just mind-blowing.”

China, of course, has a long and illustrious history with basketball, which reached its apex of sorts with Yao Mong’s remarkable stay in the NBA from 2002-11. The mania surrounding Yao only boosted a growing love of the game in the country. Nowadays, the sport is played by hundreds of millions across the world’s largest population, and the CBA – China’s own professional basketball league – will kick off its 19th season this year.

But most of the real interest lies in the NBA. NBA China sources say that regular season NBA games, which air early in the morning hours, rate way better than CBA games, which air during the primetime. In China, there are NBA fans in every nook and corner, in every high-end shopping mall and every local hutong.

During the season, starts like Bryant and Lillard help push the League in China. In the summer, naturally, they come to promote their own individual brands.

“I think that the growing interest of the game [in China] is great,” said Jeremy Lin, during his visit with adidas recently, “It’s great for basketball, and it’s great for the country as well. Basketball is such a fun sport and now it’s cool to see how much China has really adopted the game.”

With China’s summertime NBA excesses becoming a larger and more competitive field every year, the promotional approaches have taken on more and more creative forms, from Chris Paul ‘hand-delivering’ the new Jordan CP3.VIIs, as he walked through the old streets of Beijing or LeBron James and Kobe Bryant working with the Nike RISE campaign to help train selected Chinese youth throughout the country.

Meanwhile, adidas turned their store in Beijing’s Sanlitun branch – the biggest adi store in the world – into a Derrick Rose shrine this past year. Even though the former MVP was out of action for most of the season, Rose made a special trip last year to Beijing as part of his Asia tour, and interacted with fans, giving away pairs of the D Rose 773 II shoes and played table-tennis with the media and fans in the city.

While the big names like Nike, Jordan, or adidas boast their international credentials, bringing the West to the East, the East has their rising stars, too. Companies like Peak and Anta from China are slowly gaining clout, and well-known NBA names like Kevin Garnett, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, and more have committed to the Chinese brands.

The biggest trail-blazer in this respect has been Dwyane Wade and his relationship with Li Ning. In 2012, Wade became the biggest NBA superstar to join the Li Ning roster, leaving behind his previous American shoe deal for the Asian stalwart.

Sneakers aside, China has also become a hot pre-season destination, as large NBA entourage led by two teams, now head eastward every season to take part in the “China Games,” back-to-back matchups in Beijing and Shanghai between two teams. The Miami Heat, L.A. Clippers, Lakers, and Warriors have played in these games in China over the last two years, and this preseason, the Brooklyn Nets and the Sacramento Kings will make the long flight.

These games continue to be greeted with Playoff fervour – just ask the Lakers and the Warriors. But no matter how big other NBA names get worldwide, Kobe continues to garner China’s love like no other. After all, he has been coming annually every summer for almost a decade. The Chinese like to adopt catchy English nicknames, and of course, ‘Kobe’ is among the most popular ones. Grown men have cried in his presence. There is nothing but love.

And every offseason, Kobe, just like so many of the other top players in the League, returns to China to receive love and give some back. While the rest of the NBA takes a break, the summertime becomes the Playoffs in the NBA’s Far-Eastern Conference.

We Miss Yao

Three years after injuries ended Yao Ming’s playing career, the Chinese trailblazer is at peace and as invested in the game as ever.

by Karan Madhok. Photos courtesy: SLAM and Starzsports.

This feature was originally published in the April 2014 edition of SLAM Magazine (SLAM No. 176). You can also find it on SLAMOnline.com.

The Chinese don’t say goodbye. Instead, the most commonly used phrase for an appropriate parting is zài jiàn—or zeh weh, in a Shanghai dialect—which literally translates to “meet again.” In China, no end is permanent. There is always another chance, another time.

Yao Ming was only 30 years old when he officially ended his basketball-playing career. In the short time the gentle 7-6 giant bounced a basketball, he experienced unprecedented highs and disappointing lows; he became one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, and then quickly fizzled out.

Amidst it all — being the No. 1 overall pick, the first draft pick from China, an All-Star, a 20/10 player, the face of the Houston Rockets and China — Yao maintains that the most memorable moment of his career occurred on April 11, 2011, during a game against the Dallas Mavericks that he didn’t even dress for.

“That was my last game,” says Yao, who’d appeared in five games earlier that season. “I didn’t play because I was hurt already. Usually I just walk down, but that time I was thinking, I know this is my last time…I will miss this court! I didn’t tell the fans, or anybody that I was retiring. Only the Rockets management knew that this was my decision. They had to move on and know that I was out of the picture.”

Move on. It’s easier said than done, but Yao took the initiative by moving on himself. At 33, Yao seems to be at peace with his decision, at peace with the glories that lifted him up and the injuries that grounded him. He has moved on to owning a basketball team in China, his hometown Shanghai Sharks, and to engaging in a variety of business ventures back in his homeland. But he remains most excited about his upcoming project, the NBA Yao School, which will launch in Beijing later this year, where he and his team will be coaching kids in an after-school program to learn life skills through basketball.

Yao recently sat down with SLAM in Shanghai and reflected on his playing career and his post-playing life.

SLAM: Why did you open the Yao School?

Yao: I wanted to provide a service for kids after school. The education system [in China] has been focused only on academics. I feel that sports are equally important. Sports can provide a social experience before a child steps into the real world. The idea was for an after-school program where kids can relax their minds from school and have a chance to learn to become a team member. Concepts like teamwork, communication, cooperation or leadership can’t just be learned from paper; you have to experience them. And that’s what Yao School is here for. Basketball skills are the strategy to put that experience together.

SLAM: What are your goals, in terms of basketball and culturally, for this program?

Yao: This is character education. For years, kids in China have been isolated. Isolated at home, because of the one-child policy, and in school, where everyone is worried about [grades]. I want to take them out of that element and give them a chance to play as a group. A future career cannot be done in isolation; you have to work with somebody.

SLAM: What is your fondest memory of your international career?

Yao: Playing in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 was a special moment. And I still remember the first time I ever put my national team uniform on. It was the China junior team in ’97. That moment was so enjoyable; I spent a lot of time looking at myself in the mirror! I didn’t realize there was a long journey ahead for me.

SLAM: You retired as one of the most popular players of all time, and definitely the most successful Asian player. When you look back at your career, do you feel that you achieved the goals you had when you started off?

Yao: Honestly, I feel that the American players probably dream much bigger than this, but my situation was that I never dreamt to play in the NBA. I just hoped to play on the Chinese national team. The NBA seemed too far for me when I was a kid. Being drafted by the Rockets was already beyond my goals. But of course when you get there, you want to set a higher goal, you don’t want to stop, you want more. So, maybe I broke even. Maybe I should’ve gone a little bit further, but my injuries slowed me down. But you can’t change that fact. And you can’t live in regret.

SLAM: Do you have any regrets? Is there anything else that you wish you had achieved?

Yao: Not many…I think I did everything possibly I could. And if I went any harder, I would have probably broken my ankles a couple years earlier [laughs].

SLAM: If you, Tracy McGrady and all of the Rockets had been healthy in your prime, how good do you think you guys could’ve been?

Yao: First of all, there’s no such thing as “if”…I think we had our chance but we missed it. Whether we regret it or not, that is a fact, and we just need to learn from the experience and move on. Otherwise how can we go to teach kids: “Hey, you have to pull yourself together after this loss and move on,” you know?

SLAM: Was there one particular year when you thought that you were good enough to go all the way and win a Championship?

Yao: Yes, a couple of years. In ’06-’07, I felt really good about myself. I had rehabbed well from a fracture, had a good summer with the national team to get back to shape and I won Player of the Month the first month of the season. But then my knees broke right before Christmas. After that I never really had a complete season. My last full year [’08-’09] was good, too. Even though Dikembe [Mutombo] got hurt in the first round and I got hurt in the second round, it was a good year for me.

SLAM: Was there any one moment that made you decide to retire?

Yao: I was mentally stressed from the injuries and the recovery process. It’s hard to imagine waking up every morning, going to rehab for two to three hours, and then still going to practice after that…That’s really hard. You worry about getting hurt again. Once or twice it’s OK, but then to get hurt three or four times a couple of years in a row? You lose that confidence, and when you lose confidence, you cannot compete at that level. I thought I wasn’t at that level anymore. Of course, I was concerned about my future life…[Points at his feet and laughs] I didn’t want to end up in a wheelchair.

SLAM: You’ve said you still follow the NBA closely, so you’ve noticed the League’s shift toward small ball. If you were still healthy and still at the top of the game, how do you think you’d fit in now?

Yao: I’ve thought more than once about how I would compete in today’s basketball if I was still healthy and in my best shape. I think, if you can make enough free throws, or create enough free throws, you can still be effective. Otherwise, you probably need to run with the small ball. Someone like Shaquille O’Neal could create enough free throws for himself. He was very dominant and could change the pace of the game with that. But, the shooting skill today is so incredible. The three-pointer is so easy today. I think they should extend the line even another meter farther [laughs]. The defense is much more stressed by the range. And obviously, players with size like me would find it much more difficult to guard a shooter. So…[today’s NBA] definitely would not be easy for me.

The game has changed. Basketball is a form of knowledge. Sometimes I compare basketball skill to war weapons. Think about war weapons through history. In the beginning, if people wanted to knock down some big towns they needed those big machines, like catapults, and they were huge. Consider that they are centers. And then came the fire guns. When the fire guns first came out how big were they? [Motions with his hands] They were huge. And then they became smaller and smaller, and now the pistol is only that size [shows the size of his palm]. That is the skill and shape of a player, you see. The first nuclear weapons, the first missiles were so big, but now, they can be very small. Consider a player’s skill and body like a weapon. The weapon has gone from huge to small, but their damage is the same or even greater now. The point guards are the smaller and more powerful weapon nowadays. And they are mobilized. More mobile. Easy to transport, easy to ship somewhere, easy to sneak into somewhere like cutting into the lane. That’s what I think.

SLAM: You inspired so many people in China and beyond to take up basketball, to learn the game. When you are inducted in the Hall of Fame, how do you want your legacy to be remembered?

Yao: I’m too young to be in the Hall of Fame. But, well, I want people to think of me as a basketball man, not just a basketball player. Of course I was a basketball player in my career, but after that, I still continue to work with basketball and to spread the sport. And I want many people to benefit not from me, but from that sport.

The Cult of Kobe: In China, the Lakers' Superstar is more myth than man

“Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!”

The referee called foul and the player stepped on to the free-throw line. The chant broke out from the majority of 17,000 NBA devotees packed inside the MasterCard Center in Beijing, China, watching the Lakers play the Warriors in the first of their two pre-season exhibition games in the country, on October 15^th. Fans had flocked the arena in jerseys and presumed allegiances to both teams, but when it came down to it, attendees in both Laker and Warrior jerseys started chanting Kobe’s name.

The only problem was, Kobe wasn’t the player shooting the free throws. He wasn’t even on court. He wasn’t dressed for the game at all. He sat on the bench amongst the assistant coaches in a business suit, still nursing his healing Achilles tendon. The chants continued nevertheless, in a vain attempt to perhaps see him change into Laker gear and step on court, or simply acknowledge their existence, or maybe just see his face flashed once more on the jumbotron.

The chants continue, whether it’s Pau Gasol or David Lee or Stephen Curry or Steve Blake on the free throw line. They continue during the timeout, they continue at the halftime break, and they continue well after the game ends and the players exit to the locker rooms.

Outside the arena, following a 100-95 Warriors win, Beijing briefly turns into bizzaro Downtown LA. Kobe jerseys, T-shirts, hats, mouse pads, iPhone covers, bags, scarves, and pretty much anything else that could possibly be merchandized are being hawked. The subways are full of fans of all ages in Kobe jerseys. The NBA may have held the game at a neutral venue, but with the Mamba on deck, the Lakers were  always going to be the home team.

Such is the impact in China of the cult of Kobe. While Bryant has collected championship rings, All Star accolades, an MVP award, and legendary status back home in America over the course of his 17-year-career, he has also been able to cultivate a unique following in the world’s most populous country. In China, Kobe has developed into more than a man. He’s a myth. He’s spoken of in reverence, and alluded to like a demi-god.

There was that time when he dunked on the Great Wall of China.

The time when he scored 68 points in 15 minutes at a celebrity game.

There is that statue of him in the city of Guangzhou.

There was the time when he had 15,000 fans waiting for him at a venue at 9 in the morning, in line for his scheduled appearance at 4 in the afternoon.

And the time when the Asia Society celebrated him as a Cultural Ambassador to China and others referred to him as a “one-man State department, reaching directly to the people.” 

For a country that has long thrived on the socialist philosophies of ‘we’ rather than ‘I’, China have a complicated history with personality cults, starting with the Supreme Commander himself. With changing times, a new type of celebrity obsession has hit the Chinese youth, and everyone from Rihanna to Justin Bieber to David Beckham draw colossal numbers of screaming fans with their every move.

Basketball has long been one of the favourite sports, and with the success of Yao Ming, the NBA has become by far the most popular sporting league in China. Yao is considered one of the country’s greatest ambassadors and is a role model for many, but now that he’s settled back in China, his presence isn’t as novel as it once used to be. Amongst current NBA-ers, LeBron James has dominated Chinese social media (renren, sina weibo, tencent weibo, youko, etc.) more than any other Western celebrity over the past year. Tracy McGrady attracted big crowds in every Chinese small town where he CBA team visited last season, and was even welcomed by 2,000 screaming fans when he first landed at the Qingdao airport. Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant, and of course, Jeremy Lin are a big deal here, too.

But nothing matches the strange and wonderful veneration of Kobe. It started in the last 90s, when a young Kobe began to host basketball camps around China. The mainstream popularity of the NBA in the country synchronized with the Shaq-Kobe three-peat, and by the time Yao became an NBA mainstay superstar, Kobe was hitting game-winners on the regular and scoring in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 80s.

By the time he had won his fifth championship, the legend of Kobe in China was sealed. Mamba was visiting the country nearly every off-season and visiting smaller off-beat towns to get closer to more and more hardcore fans. He was part of the US Olympic Basketball squad that won the 2008 gold medal in Beijing, and in front of the crowd at the same MasterCard center, it was Kobe that memorably stepped up as the brightest star in a team full of superstars to defeat Spain in the Final. On the side, he became involved with charity projects and set up the Kobe Bryant China Fund, which ended up raising millions to help those affected by natural disasters in the country.

Judy Seto, a trusted physical therapist of Bryant, reveals many of the strangest stories about Kobe’s popularity in China, and she adds that, “He’s made an effort to cultivate that relationship [with China] every year. And it’s not just, ‘Let me make this stop at this store.’ It’s, ‘Let me hold this clinic to work with some of the kids and spend some time with them. Let me understand what this city has in terms of culture or the main manufacturing or what’s the main draw.’”

Before the Lakers-Warriors exhibition in Beijing, NBA Commissioner David Stern tried to explain the Kobe phenomenon in China. “Well first of all, he’s playing for the Lakers,” Stern said, “He’s been playing for a very long time, as viewership and interest in our game has grown dramatically. And he has come to this country quite often and understands what it is to cultivate a fan base which totally understands that he has, shall I say, the heart of a champion. His Chinese fans totally expect him, beyond all odds, to make a full recovery from his injury because they have come to have enormous confidence in his ability and his determination. I think that’s because he’s shown the ability and determination at different stages of his career to win, to play at his highest and to elevate his teammates.”

Bryant, however, slightly deflects the answer from himself when speaking on his own popularity. "If you go back to the States, fans have gone through this progression of hero marketing,” he told Mike Bresnahan of LA Times, “They kind of lived through that in the '80s with Michael [Jordan] and Magic [Johnson] and having the fanaticism of fans. With so many [U.S.] media outlets, I think it's evolved to something beyond that, where we're a little bit more desensitized by celebrities. Out here, not so much. It's something that's kind of relatively new.”

In recent years, the two championships for the Miami Heat, coupled with the forgettable years for the Lakers, have boosted LeBron’s popularity amongst the newer, younger NBA fans, many of whom are more active on Chinese social media. China likes winners, and yet, despite the fact that Kobe’s last meaningful playoff game came over three years ago, fans have remained loyal to him. Regardless of the problems of the present – the injury, the age, and the declining roster – the Myth of Kobe is secured. “China likes him because he is always working so hard, and he always wants to win,” describes Sun Yimeng, an editor and writer for SLAM China and one of the most famous Kobe fans in China, “I have seen grown men crying in his presence because he inspires them so much.” She also tells the story of a fan – one of many – who bought a Mercedes-Benz ‘Smart Car’ simply to put his name into a lottery of those (in the thousands) with a chance to meet Kobe. “Luckily for him,” she adds, “He won!”

The love for Kobe reached its peak in the player’s darkest on-court moment. When Kobe went down with the Achilles injury to the Warriors at the end of last season, Weibo – China’s version of Twitter – erupted with good-will messages for Bryant. Kobe, who has over 2.3 million followers on Weibo, posted a photograph of himself preparing for surgery on his account. Within 24 hours, the photo had accumulated 45,000 comments and forwarded over 70,000 times. ‘Pray for Kobe’ and ‘God Bless Kobe’ became amongst the most popular trending topics in the country, and fans didn’t hold back with their emotional outpouring of their favourite Kobe memories, their wishes, and their determination to believe that Bryant would be back to his best again. (Jason Q. Ng compiled a fascinating, long list of Weibo comments for Kobe post his injury).

Outside the borders of Mainland China, down to Hong Kong, eastwards to Taiwan, and then around in other Asian nations who are slowly falling deeper in love with the NBA, the Kobe mania continues. In Taiwan, Kobe is in commercials with the country’s most popular entertainer Jay Chou. In the Philippines, the crowd at the recent Rockets-Pacers exhibition game chanted Kobe’s name at his former Laker teammate Dwight Howard. In India, where basketball is still a minor sport, fans on Facebook ran a petition to try and get Kobe to visit the country.

While Kobe – and LeBron, too – are the dominant NBA personalities amongst most of China and Asia in the present, there is a special place still saved for the man who was once bigger than the sport of basketball itself. In China, legions of followers still swear by the gospel of Michael Jordan, and to many of Asia, interest in the NBA is still stuck in a 90s time-warp. According to the Financial Review, back in 1992 during MJ’s heyday, a survey taken by students in China revealed that Jordan was considered the most influential person of the twentieth century.

Jordan made way for Iverson, Iverson for Yao and McGrady, and then, to the new era of LeBron, with Rose and Durant and others. And then there’s Kobe, who has survived all the post-Jordan eras and maintained his popularity and relevance in world basketball.

“Kobe! Kobe! Kobe!”

The venue now is Shanghai, and it’s the second of two China preseason games on October 18^th at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. A loud cheer greets Shanghai’s proudest son – Yao Ming – who waved at the fans in attendance. An even louder cheer was saved for Kobe Bryant, who via Philadelphia to Italy to Los Angeles become a legend to a country of hundreds of millions of basketball fans.

Bryant didn’t play in either game in China. The Lakers lost both games. But it didn’t matter. Fans screamed. Fans cried. He was mobbed everywhere he went. Some got to see him in person. Some saw on him on the jumbotron. Some watched him with pride on the Television, excited that he was back in their country. And others sent him messages online.

The chants never stopped. And the cult of Kobe continued.

Shooting Star: Stephen Curry is ready to turn the long-shot Warriors into contenders

Excerpts of this feature were first published in the 118th edition (2013 - No. 21) of SLAM China Magazine. Here is my complete and original English version of the story.

“It’s my first time playing in China. I want to give the fans a show.”

On the eve of the pre-season exhibition game between the Warriors and the Lakers in Beijing, Stephen Curry made his intent clear. Basketball was officially on the agenda, but whenever the league’s most promising young sharp-shooter takes the stage, it becomes more than a game. It becomes a show.

The next night, the show began slowly for Curry. It was – technically – ‘just’ an exhibition. Teammate David Lee did most of the damage for his side, scoring a game-high 31 points and keeping the Warriors in contention. The Lakers came fired up and led by 11 points after three quarters.

In the midst of this, Curry’s pregame proclamation – and his potential influence on the game – were mostly forgotten. The eyes of the crowd were transfixed instead on Kobe Bryant, who, while nursing his Achilles tendon, hadn’t even suited for this game. The crowd chanted Kobe’s name at every opportunity, and the game’s biggest star became the man who wasn’t even participating in it.

*

A good point guard has to do a lot of things. He has to be a great passer, has to have a strong handle on the ball, has to defend the perimeter, has to penetrate, has to be creative, and has to convert his open looks.

A great point guard has to do all of those things – and be the leader of the squad.

A day before the Beijing game, Warriors’ Coach Mark Jackson, one of the most respected point guards of his era, had made it clear that his starting point guard – Curry – was now ready to follow in his footsteps.

“He’s a leader, a great basketball player, and an All Time great shooter, and he’s coming off of an outstanding season,” Jackson said, “He’s done a great job in being one of the captains and leaders for this team. I’m excited about what the future holds for Steph Curry.”

Curry’s own experiences with a point-guard as Coach seem to have benefitted him, and he told SLAM that he was lucky to have Mark Jackson at the helm.

“I have a special relationship with coach,” Curry said, “He played the same position that I’m at right now. I definitely learn a lot from him every single day and he instills a lot of confidence in me to go there and play well.”

*

Ending last season with a memorable playoffs run definitely raised interest amongst basketball fans around the world for Curry and his young Warriors. In Beijing too, although the Lakers and Kobe are definitely the crowd darlings, there were enough Golden State and Curry fans to make their voices heard.

While the Warriors trail for most of the game, Curry begins to show flashes of the leadership that he has been promising. He has only 10 points at the end of three quarters, but he adds seven assists to in limited minutes to keep his teammates involved and begins to exert more pressure on his opponents at the defensive end.

This is all part of the plan – he says – a plan to the 25-year-old to improve every part of his game.

“I’ve been working on everything,” he says, “In the summer workouts there was a lot of defense, lot of focus on getting stronger, quicker, and also been working on my handling and passing abilities that – as a point guard – I have to be able to do every single night. Everything that I do I think I can get better that.”

“I plan to be playing in my way and doing whatever the team needs,” he adds, “My focus is on continuing to train to make myself stronger and better.”

*

But Curry hadn’t forgotten about the one skill that makes him special, that sets him apart. He hadn’t forgotten that he promised a show in Beijing.

When the fourth quarter came along, with the Warriors trailing 80-69, the show finally began.

Three. Lead cut.

Two free throws. Game grows closer.

Three. Game tied.

Three. Dagger.

And a few more free throws. Game over.

While the Lakers played their backups for most of the final quarter, Coach Mark Jackson put his best team out, and let his best player punctuate the night with a 14-point takeover in the final period.

No one was surprised when most of the damage came from the three-point line. At this rate, Curry has potential to challenge Ray Allen and Reggie Miller as the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history. On one memorable night, he dropped 54 points on the Knicks at the famous Madison Square Garden. He became the only player ever to finish with at least 250 threes and 500 assists in the same season. And, over the course of 2012-13, Curry set a record in the league for most three-pointers ever made in a single-season, overtaking Ray Allen’s 269 and finishing his year with 272. “I didn’t know about the record until the end of the season, but when I found out, I tried to break it,” he said.

“I’ll try to break my own record again in the coming season.”

*

Three nights later, Curry and the Warriors steamrolled by the Lakers again, this time in Shanghai.

A torch had been passed. The Warriors are now looking past the Lakers, and are now aiming for the best teams in their conference.
“Our plan is to be as consistent as possible,” Curry says, “We can’t have any bad nights. The West is tough; every team on any given night has an opportunity to beat you. You have to show up, you have to execute, you have to be physical, and play with a sense of urgency every single night. And through the course of the season, hopefully we’ll separate ourselves as one of the best.”

With David Lee coming off an All Star season, Andrew Bogut healthy and ready to make a big defensive contribution again, Andre Iguodala added to the mix as a multi-purpose two-way threat on the perimeter, Klay Thompson still shooting lights out, and Harrison Barnes continuing his rapid development, the Warriors have the squad – on paper, at least – to improve their sixth-place finish from last season and make a deeper playoff run.

But with opponents like the Spurs, Thunder, Rockets, Clippers and the Grizzlies battling them on a regular basis, not to mention the occasional meetings with Eastern powerhouses like the Heat, Bulls, or the Pacers, Mark Jackson’s team have are still only a long-shot to make the jump from the second-round exit to genuine title contenders.

Luckily for them, they will be led by a player who is more than capable of overcoming any long-shot that comes his way. Stephen Curry gave China a show over the summer, and as the NBA season begins, he’ll make sure that the Golden State show goes on.

India wins bronze medal at KFC 3x3 International Challenge in China

India impressed competitors and fans en route to a bronze medal finish at the 2013 KFC 3x3 International Challenge in Shanghai, China, which was held from September 28-39. India were amongst 12 teams taking part in the under-23 men's tournament. Hosts China - who fielded four different teams - saw their '1' squad take the gold medal in the final against Australia.

India fielded a four-man unit that was led by Loveneet Singh, who was part of India's U18 3x3 squad that brought home a silver medal from the U18 FIBA Asia 3x3 Championship from Bangkok earlier this year. Also in Team India was exciting forward Ajay Pratap Singh, Amit Kanarjee, and Vijay Parthasarathy. The team was accompanied by coach Ashok Rangeen.

KFC has been hosting a massive nationwide 3x3 challenge in China for nearly a decade now (I had a chance to visit the Beijing City Finals last year) but this is the first time that they held an international tournament. The tournament was organized by KFC China, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), and Beijing Atlas Sports.

The participating teams were: Australia, China-1, China-2, China-3, China-4, Chinese Taipei, Germany, India, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malaysia, and USA.

India were grouped with USA, Chinese Taipei, and Indonesia. They made a bright start by shocking the Americans in a close battle that ended in a 16-14 win for India. They lost in their next game to Chinese Taipei 21-18, but ended the group stage on the tournament's first day by defeating Indonesia 19-16.

After earning a spot in the Quarter-Finals, India continued their rampage by defeating China-3 21-17 to enter the tournament's final four. It was here that they were stopped in their tracks by Australia, who emerged as 16-13 victors. There was no third-place playoffs but India won the bronze medal by having a better score differential than the other semi-final loser, Chinese Taipei. The final was a close contest between China-1 and Australia, and China-1 scraped by with a thrilling 19-18 victory.

In addition to the team success, India's Loveneet Singh also won an individual gold medal at a three-point shooting competition at the event.

Roopam Sharma, CEO of Basketball Federation of India (BFI) said, "I would like to congratulate the coach and the players on their excellent performance at the KFC 3x3 International Challenge 2013. Basketball as a competitive sport continues to grow in India and the improving results of team India at International competitions is a testimony to that growth."

Dwayne Wade: Three (Is the Magic Number)

This feature was first published as the cover story in the 111th edition (2013 - No. 14) of SLAM China Magazine. Here is my original English version of the story.

Everything had to be perfect.

Dwyane Wade’s red blazer had to match his new fiery-red shoes. It had to be left unbuttoned, to show off just enough of the red and black T-shirt he wore inside. The frame of his sunglasses had to match the colours of his suit. The background had to merge with everything together, and the intensely bright lights that shone on him at the photo shoot in Shanghai had to amplify the superstar that shone brighter than all of them.

He sat down for a different shot, taking a seat that would signify his throne. And he took the look of a man who had reached the top of the scale with fiery competitiveness, and yet, exuded the calm of a philosopher-king, of a man at complete ease, or at peace, with his success.

He folded his palm and pinky finger in to throw up his index, middle, and ring fingers up. The number three. On his throne, one of the Kings of the NBA had just won his third championship, and now, here he was celebrating the magic number.

*

And at guard… standing at 6-foot-4 from Marquette… Number 3… Dwyaaaaaane Waaaadddee!

The Miami Heat are back-to-back NBA champions, and feature perhaps the best basketball player in the world and his name is LeBron James, the man who has been the league’s MVP and the Finals MVP in the last two championship seasons. When the Heat make their pre-game introductions, LeBron is called first, and they always save Dwayne Wade for last. He may not be the Finals MVP or the scoring champion that he once was, but Wade continues to be the heart and soul of the Heat franchise, the man who has had a major role in lifting all three of the Miami Heat championship trophies.

There is another subtle significance in calling Wade out last, as the explosive – if injury-riddled – guard has made a career out of becoming the kind of player who saves his best moments for the very end.

Like the time when, as a rookie for the Miami Heat in 2004, he hit a game-winning shot in the last seconds of the first-ever playoff game of his career.

Like the 2006 NBA Finals, when he saved his four best performances to date for the last four games of the year, defeating the Dallas Mavericks four times in a row after going down 2-0 in the series to lift his first NBA Championship.

Like how he continued to script out a career as one of the game’s greatest clutch players, owning the fourth quarters and dying moments of close games, taking the last shots, making the game-changing defensive plays, and helping to keep a poor Heat team relevant through the tough years that followed his first championship. In the process, he became a yearly entrant into the NBA All Star team, was always hovering around the All NBA Teams, and in 2008, became an Olympian. Despite coming off a serious injury, Wade dominated the 2008 Beijing Olympics to lead the team in scoring and tallying a game high 27 points in 27 minutes of the classic final against Spain to win a gold medal.

Already confirmed his seat amongst the NBA’s greats, Wade then changed the course of history altogether when he recruited LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join the Heat in the summer of 2010. The Big Three was born, and Mr. Number Three, Dwyane Wade, was in the middle of it all.

Since then, the Heat have been to three consecutive NBA Finals and won two more championships, bringing Wade’s tally to three in total. With each passing year, he has given more and more of the team’s helm to LeBron while becoming a support player on his own squad. It is a unique situation where the team’s leader is not their best player any longer. Through injuries, age, and LeBron’s sheer brilliance, Wade has been forced to settle for the role of the NBA’s most dangerous sidekick. But with championships piling up, it seems to a role that he has no trouble accepting.

Many are still in awe of watching LeBron and Wade run in the same team together. True, advance stats prove that the two are perhaps most efficient in a lineup when either one of them is on the floor, but in the rare moments when both of them are functioning at their highest level, the Heat become a juggernaut of historic proportions. Wade’s improvement was a major reason why the Heat won 27 consecutive games this season. And it was his ability to bounce back from injury struggles at crucial moments that aided to their tough second championship.

*

The defining characteristic of Dwyane Wade’s career hasn’t been the big picture, but the small moments that complete the big picture. Wade has long had the reputation of being the game’s ultimate ‘switch’ player, someone who goes into the highest gear at the most crucial moments. From college, like his much-publicized triple-double against Kentucky in the Elite Eight, to the 2006 Finals, to the Olympic Games, and in small moments in every other season. This included 2012 playoffs when, with the Heat down 2-1 to the Indiana Pacers, Wade had his ailing knee drained and came back to completely dominate the next three games to take the Heat into the Conference Finals.

This year, Wade seemed a shade of his former self during most of the playoffs, once again falling victim to the injuries that have long cursed his career. Still, he became the spark for Miami just when they most needed him. He capitalized on the moment to takeover in the close-out Game 5 against the Bulls in the second round. He upped a gear to vanquish the Indiana Pacers in the close-out Game 7 of the Conference Finals. He saved his best performance of the season for Game 4 of the NBA Finals, to save the Heat from going 3-1 down and instead, bouncing back and leveling the series against the Spurs at 2-2.

The Heat were given a second shot at life when they miraculously came back to win Game 6 of the Finals. On the day of Game 7 – the last and most important game of the year – Wade had his knee drained and went through eight hours of game-day therapy. On the night when LeBron brilliantly led the way to a Heat win, Wade also played 39 minutes, scoring 23 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to seal the championship.

Soon after, he changed his Twitter name to simply ‘THREE’. He celebrated with his teammates, and twisted his fingers to throw up the number three to celebrate his own achievements.

*

The ‘three’ is still up, nearly a month after his championship. He’s far away from the shores of South Beach, but those who welcomed him in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai recognize the significance of that number.

Back in our photo shoot in Shanghai. Wade may have clearly been the sharpest-dressed individual in the studio, but it is those who surround him, in simple white T-shirts, that somehow catch our eye. Their Li Ning shirts all bear the same three letters bearing Wade’s motto for his newest life venture: ‘Wade of Wade’. The motto has become a rallying cry for the star who is charting his own path into greatness.

Last off-season, Dwyane Wade became the biggest NBA superstar to join the Li Ning roster, leaving behind his previous American shoe deal for this surprising and path-breaking new move. To conservative minds, this could be seen as a risky new endeavour for both sides: Li Ning because of Wade’s age and injury, and Wade because of Li Ning’s relative inexperience in untested waters. But for as long as Number Three continues to rack up championships and make game-changing moments, he will continue to be a relevant force around the world. And in the process of success on court, he’ll be able to carry the ambitious young Chinese company to relevancy with him.

*

After another long season that lasted until the third week of June, followed by championship celebrations and a tour of China, Wade has vowed that he will be giving his knees some much-needed rest. And those knees need the rest as much as he (and his team) needs those knees. His physical, swash-buckling style of play has made him one of the most dominant and exciting players in the league, but it has also accumulated several niggling injuries throughout his career. As he gets older, he will have to evolve his game to remain amongst the league’s elite and help keep his team in the championship hunt. In a recent interview with USA Today, he mentioned the need to change his game and become a consistent outside shooter for the future.

That will be one of major questions looking ahead in the career of a player who has never quite excelled in the outside shot throughout his career. The other question concerns not his own status as a player, but the status of the teammates around him. By 2014, the contracts of the Big Three in Miami are set to expire. With more stringent tax rules, it would take highly creative planning to extend LeBron, Wade, and Bosh in Miami together for a few years.

For now, the immediate concern is the near-future. There are going to be many obstacles in their way to another championship: Derrick Rose returns to bolster the Bulls, the Pacers will be hungry and motivated for another shot at Miami, the Nets have made key off-season acquisitions to align themselves for a championship run, and Carmelo Anthony will ensure that the Knicks trouble them in the East too. Out West, the Spurs will be back as ever, Durant and Westbrook will keep the Thunder in the run, the Clippers will be dreaming big, and the Rockets will hope Dwight Howard can make them into contenders. Wade and the Big Three will have to be well-rested, and with all three in their contract years, they will need to produce another historic season if they are to complete their three-peat.

Yet, the philosopher-king seems to be taking it all in his stride. On his throne, fighting for the status of NBA royalty, and still in peace as the mastermind behind his past, present, and future successes. Right now, three is the magic number for Wade, and everything in his world is once again perfect.

But we can be rest assured that he is already thinking about number four…