When Kobe Bryant went to China for the first time in 1998, the Chinese people weren’t very interested in the NBA. Bryant went there to spread the word and work at an instructional basketball clinic, but local coaches and a lot of people didn’t even know who he was.
“When I first came here, I never thought the game in China would get to be this big,” Bryant said. “But it has. And it’s not going to stop.”
Popularity of NBA in China seems to create endless options. @bytimreynolds
https://t.co/y7IZdQxZW7— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) September 16, 2019
The popularity of the NBA in China grew extremely fast in the past couple of decades, and last season, more than 500 million people watched games. In the next five years, one new streaming deal will inject $1.5 billion into the league’s pockets, which is a staggering amount. That being said, the business possibilities look endless.
Yao Ming certainly helped the NBA’s popularity in China. Even though his stint with the Rockets ended eight years ago, the numbers are only getting higher. The NBA now has academies in China while the Chinese national team participated in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas this offseason.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes that when the next Yao Ming comes to the NBA, its popularity will become even bigger
“I think the next step will probably come when the next Yao Ming comes. That would take it to a new level, more Chinese players to reach the NBA and make an impact,” Kerr said. “When you come here, you feel it from the fans, their energy, people at the hotel, people just walking around. Everybody just seems very excited about basketball.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver is also well aware of the league’s popularity in China.
“This past summer, an NBA Academy prospect from China signed a contract with a National Basketball League team in Australia, becoming the first male NBA Academy prospect from China to sign a contract with a professional team,” Silver said. “And on the women’s side, Han Xu from the New York Liberty, who trained at the NBA Academy in Shandong, China, became the first NBA Academy prospect to be drafted into the NBA or WNBA.”
H/T: Associated Press
