China Daily, January 18th The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced on January 18th that the league will celebrate the Chinese New Year with fans around the world from January 30th to February 18th. To this end, the NBA has launched three star-studded Spring Festival-themed promotional videos, which will bring fans more than 65 live games. In addition, a record 15 NBA teams will hold Spring Festival celebrations at their respective home stadiums.
There are three NBA Spring Festival-themed promotional videos in the series, namely "When Does It Start", "Favorite Part", and "So Special". As a highlight of this Spring Festival celebration, three NBA promotional videos are officially released to everyone today. The promotional video stars three NBA All-Star players and NBA New Year Ambassador Cai Xukun. The three players are two-time All-Star player Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), three-time NBA All-Star Players, Damian Lillard ( Portland Trail Blazers), who was selected to the 2018 NBA All-NBA First Team, and four-time NBA All-Star and three-time championship winner Klay Thompson ( Golden State Warriors) ). This year is the eighth consecutive year that the NBA has held New Year celebrations in China and the United States, and this is also the first time that Chinese stars have participated.
This week, former NBA player and NBA championship member Jason Terry was the first to arrive in China to celebrate the Spring Festival with fans. Terry held basketball training camps for children in Changsha, Hunan and Beijing, and met and communicated with local children in need, bringing holiday joy to them.
During the 2019 NBA New Year, Chinese fans can watch through platforms such as CCTV, Tencent, BesTV, Guangdong TV , Shanghai Five-Star Sports Channel, Vilay Sports, Alda, Eleven Sports, Titong Tianxia, Migu C and ViuTV. Watch over 65 NBA games.
"When does it start", "Favorite Part", "So Special" - NBA New Year promotional videos: In the three promotional videos of
, Chinese singer Cai Xukun will appear together with Antetokounmpo, Lillard and Thompson. , combining basketball with the joyful Spring Festival for the whole family, and showing their expectations for the Spring Festival through this series of promotional videos. Whether it’s a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner or the moment you get on the train home, “when will it start” to celebrate the beginning of the New Year. "The Favorite Part" reproduces the warm atmosphere of family reunion and New Year's Eve fireworks, showing the joyful and warm moments of the Chinese New Year. From packages stuffed with gifts to a house filled with New Year decorations, "So Special" celebrates the Chinese New Year in the most traditional way.
Important games during the New Year's Eve:
The live broadcast of the 2019 NBA New Year's Eve games will kick off in two can't-miss games on January 30, when New Orleans Pelicans will face Houston Rockets , Philadelphia 76 People played against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In addition, there are many strong dialogues worthy of special attention during the Chinese New Year:
- February 1 – Philadelphia 76ers vs. Golden State Warriors : This will be the first game of the season led by Joel Embiid The 76 team led by will face off against the Warriors led by Stephen Curry for the first time, and the Warriors will wear the New Year City Edition jersey.
- Feb 2 – Houston Rockets vs. Denver Nuggets: Rockets James Harden will wear a City Edition jersey with Chinese characters for the first time against the Western Conference leader Nuggets.
- February 3 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Golden State Warriors: The Lakers and Warriors will face off for the third time this season.
- February 6 – Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers: A clash between the two Eastern Conference powers, Embiid led the 76ers to challenge the Raptors led by Kawhi Leonard.
- February 8 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics : This will be the first showdown of the season between the Lakers and the Boston Celtics led by Kyrie Irving.
- February 13 – Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics: Old rivals from last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals meet again.
- February 14 – Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers: Thompson and the Warriors will take on the Lillard-led Trail Blazers.
- February 18 – 2019 NBA All-Star Game: The 68th NBA All-Star Game will be held in Charlotte.
New Year's Eve Chinese elements jerseys and court celebrations:
- A record 15 teams will hold New Year celebrations at home, including the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards. Each team will incorporate a variety of Chinese elements into the game to celebrate the Spring Festival in various forms, such as fan gifts, live performances, food, stadium logos and stadium decorations.
- The Rockets and Warriors will wear Nike City Edition jerseys with Chinese character elements and designs inspired by Chinese culture in some games to pay tribute to Chinese fans and Chinese culture.
Chinese New Year fans will receive prizes and interactions:
- Fans can participate in a series of "NBA Lucky Ball" activities on multiple NBA China official platforms. These include the fun quiz game "Hongyunqiu Battle" launched jointly with Toutiao on January 23, and the Douyin New Year's Eve challenge that started on February 5.
- Starting from January 18, fans can participate in the #Unlock Your New Year Lucky # event through platforms such as Tmall, Taobao, Youku and UC to win bonuses and gifts.
- From January 25th to February 18th, fans can participate in the "NBA New Year Red Envelope" event through Weibo and have the opportunity to win officially authorized NBA products and jerseys.
New Year's message:
"The Chinese Spring Festival is a global holiday, and the NBA is pleased to have this opportunity to bring joy to fans and their families through basketball and celebrate the New Year with them," NBA China CEO Derek Chang )explain. "At the same time, I am also very happy to see more players and teams joining in the New Year celebrations and conveying the joy of the Spring Festival to everyone in the most NBA way."
"Participating in the NBA New Year's Eve promotional video is a great experience. It’s also an opportunity to learn about traditional Chinese culture,” Antetokounmpo said. "I'm looking forward to bringing wonderful performances to my fans during the Spring Festival."
"I'm honored to be able to celebrate this festival with countless Chinese fans in China and around the world, and I'm happy that I can learn to say New Year greetings to them in Chinese. ," Lillard said. "I hope to show them my best game during this special time."
"I am very happy to celebrate the Spring Festival with the Chinese fans," Thompson said. "I am very happy to meet Chinese fans every summer, and I am grateful for this opportunity to send my blessings to everyone in this fun and unique way."
"I am honored to be a part of the NBA New Year's Eve event As a member of the NBA, I am also happy to share my love for basketball with all NBA fans," Cai Xukun said. "I wish everyone a happy New Year and hope that everyone can enjoy the fun of basketball games during the Spring Festival."
(Editor: Yan Yujie Huanghe River)
Source: China Daily website
