One day, early in the morning while visiting China, I went for a walk. The streets of Beijing were quiet except for a basketball court about a half a mile from the Forbidden City. There three full court layouts were filled with kids playing hardcore hoops with about 500 kids awaiting the “next” game.
China loves basketball. There are NBA stores everywhere. You see ads with Kobe, LeBron and Gilbert on buses and on big signs everywhere. You see Chinese students walking around with jeans and NBA jerseys.
When the Houston Rockets play on television, China stands still.
More than 300 million people play the game. Think of that. The entire population of the United States is 300 million.
The opening game between China and the US could have the largest audience ever for a sporting event. CCTV and Shanghai Media Group reach a billion plus people in mainland China alone. Wow. The US had better come to play.
Tags: Basketball, China, NBA, Olympics, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take
