Preview of China Basketball Summit 2015 (III) : NBA and China

On August 7th 2015, FIBA announced China is awarded the rights to organize the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. And China’s national basketball team triumphed in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, promoting to the Olympic Games for the 8th time in a row. Chinese basketball has started reestablishment and staged a comeback from the sag over the last fewer years.

Additionally, Chinese government shows the ambition to develop sports into a RMB5 trillion industry by 2025. Accordingly, sports draws unprecedented attentions from all sectors, marking a key turning point for Chinese basketball and sports in general. Under this historical background, the 2015 China Basketball Summit will bring in a delegation of basketball experts like Wangfei. In this part, we will share more information about NBA China, of which their representative will also take part in the Summit.

During the NBA All Star Game last season, David Shoemaker, head of NBA China had a round table conversation at the Headquarter of NBA in New York. After counting the achievements that NBA China had reached over the last few year in a casual way, Shoemaker found they were on fire over the last year. 

In September 2014, NBA China added Chinese sportswear provider Anta as an official partner. And then it established partnership with China’s Ministry of Education in October. Not long after that, Tencent Inc. became the exclusive digital media partner of NBA China in the country. 

Besides, the organization also teamed up with Chinese Master Kong, which sees the brand become an official marketing partner of NBA China since this season. As well as campus basketball league, NBA China have jointly launched the first Junior NBA Basketball League in China in conjuction with the Beijing Municipal Education Commission and the Beijing Sport Bureau. 

In fact, NBA’s fruitful achievements in Chinese market over the latest few years resulted from the hard work in last three decades. NBA was firstly aired by CCTV in late 1980s and then was significantly boosted with Yao Ming growing into a recognized NBA star and the Association hosting a China Tour game. NBA has showed a positive momentum to grow in attentions, market shares and number of sponsorship deals in China. 

In addition to founding of Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong offices, NBA has launched NBA China in 2008 for its further development in China. NBA is now at its highest level in various aspects involving media rights, marketing partnerships, franchised products sales and basketball development.

Over the 2014-2015 season, NBA games attracted 600 million Chinese viewers.“I think of that as a stunning statistic for us, in part because of the sheer volume-twice the population of the US–but also because it’s approaching one out of two people in the entire country tuning in,” Shoemaker said, “We’re pretty proud of that.”

The social media of NBA China have attracted more than 100 million followers at present. For each live broadcasting of NBA match, there are more than 20 million Chinese viewers in average. Chinese media giant Tencent alone is expected to broadcast more than 600 NBA matches.  

The rapid development of NBA China results from the Shoemaker’s far sight as well as wholehearted efforts of Yang Dongwei, the senior vice president of NBA China. Yang is a MBA graduate from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He has also studied Accounting and Economics for MPA & MS in University of Texas and obtained a B.A.in International Economics in Nankai University.

Before his joining NBA, Yang worked on financing projects in Merrill Lynch, one of the largest investment bank all over the world. He once worked in the team that is responsible for Air China’s being listed on Hong Kong Exchanges and London Stock Exchange. Much earlier, he was a Sr. Specialist in Wachovia Securities.

In February 2006, Mr. Yang joined NBA. He has worked as the managing director of NBA Asia (excluding China business) and has worked for the international division of NBA New York headquarter.As the senior vice president of NBA China at present, he is in charge of many businesses of NBA China. In January 2008, NBA China has raised US$ 250 million, by coordinating with its five world-renowned strategic partners,ESPN, Bank of China Group Investment Limited, Legend Holdings, Li Ka Shing Foundation and China Merchants China Direct Investments Limited. In fact, without Yang’s hard work, NBA China would not have made such achievements.

During his tenure as the senior vice president of global marketing partner of NBA China, Mr. Yang pushed forward the cooperation between NBA and a series of international companies and leading Chinese companies, including Adidas, China Mobile, China Southern Airlines, Lenovo, Mengniu, Procter & Gamble and Tsingtao Beer. 

Now, under his leadership, NBA and Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China has formed a long-term strategic partnership to jointly develop campus basketball in China. The two sides have launched Multi-dimensional programs, including the Jr. NBA league and NBA-style basketball court across China. It is reported that the two sides are working together to develop and further promote basketball training courses among primary and secondary school students, which will provide a brand new basketball experience for more than 3 million school pupils. 

It is worth mentioning that Mr. Yang Dongwei also played a key role in the cooperation between NBA and ex-NBA player Yao Ming. The two sides set up the world’s first NBA Yao Basketball Club in Beijing in 2014, which is designed to provide a high standard after-class basketball training and fitness solution for Chinese young people.

At the same time, he is responsible for the promotion work of NBA Global Games. Besides, as the board member of Mercedes-Benz Arena, Yang Dongwei also need to lead the PR team and CSR team of the NBA China. 

Mr. Yang Dongwei said in a media interview, “promoting the development of basketball lies at the core of the development of NBA in China. Only when basketball as a sport gains more and more popularity among Chinese people, can NBA develop better in China. Fortunately for NBA, the sport was introduced to China five years later when it is originated from America. The love of Chinese people for basketball is passed down generation after generation. The charm of participating in basketball activities makes Chinese people stronger. For the NBA, The pursuit of a championship is indeed an important goal, but more important is to help everyone live a healthier life.  ” 

As the senior vice president of business affairs of NBA China, Mr. Yang Dongwei will deliver a keynote speech themed as “the ecosystem for the development of Jr. NBA” and have a discussion with attendances on the related topics in a Q & A session. 

Together with Yutang Sports, let’s wait and see! 

About the China Basketball Summit 2015

After Beijing’s successful bid for the rights to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, China was awarded the rights to host the 2019 FIBA World Cup after defeating the Philippines on Aug.7, 2015. This good news makes the whole country jubilant.  At the same time, the General Administration of Chinese Sport deepened the reform of sports management systems in response to the reform plan drawn up by the State Council. The China Basketball Summit 2015 has been launched under these conditions.

The China Basketball Summit 2015, organized by Pioneer Sports, will be held in Shanghai from December 10th to 11th. The summit will be a combination of Chinese basketball professionals along with marketers and experts from America, Europe and other parts of the world. The summit will also serves as a perfect platform for those professionals and experts to tap into the tremendous business opportunities within the industry. They can exchange views on the commercial operation of professional clubs, youth basketball training and other issues that need to be addressed urgently in the current Chinese basketball market with the aim of addressing the weaknesses in Chinese basketball and making a big leap forward.

Pioneer Sports is committed to building a long-term professional platform for the exchange between Chinese basketball and international basketball. At the same time they would aim to provide a consulting service and expertise for clubs and public institutions on basketball-related strategy, organisation, operations and technology. Saipao 360, an online ticket-selling company and Yutang Sports, a premium sports marketing company in China, will serve as the co-organisers of the summit and so provide their considerable support.

Yutang will also bring you the most compelling topics and cutting-edge insights from the front as well some exclusive interviews with distinguished guests!

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http://www.pioneersports.cn/Contactus.html

Distinguished Guests

David Yang

Senior Vice President

NBA China

As Senior Vice President of Business Affairs for NBA China, David Yang oversees NBA's youth and basketball development efforts and directs the league's government affairs, branded destinations business, NBA Global Games, communications and social responsibility operations in China.

Under his leadership, NBA China and the Chinese Ministry of Education established a groundbreaking partnership that aims to further youth development through basketball in elementary, middle and high schools across China.  Since October 2014, NBA China and the Ministry of Education have jointly launched a series of initiatives including the Jr. NBA High School League in Beijing, the development of NBA style basketball curriculum that aims to provide enhanced basketball training to at least three million students, basketball exchange programs and a RMB 10 million (US $1.6 million) pledge in a joint effort to build and refurbish public basketball courts across China. 

Han Lifeng

Han Lifeng, currently serves as General Manager of Bloomage International (Beijing) Wukesong Arena Management Co., Ltd .He manage the group of   venues including MasterCard Center, Huiyuan space, Hi-Park , Wukesong Cultural&Sports Plaza.

Han Lifeng is a domestic specialist in the sports and cultural venues’ commercialized operation. The MasterCard Center which led by him has the profitability of the strongest and highest space-utilization. He spearheaded the creation of five-into-one service system, venue security procedures, which provides a textbook-class theory for commercial venues operation mode.

Tom McCarthy

Chairman

Beijing International Group (BIG)

BIG Lifestyle Development Limited (BLDL)

Positive image limited (PIL)

McCarthy has served Asia & China in the fields of sports, education, corporate consultancy & services, and lifestyle development since 1987. Prior to creating the present group of companies, his wide experience as a former global corporate basketball marketing senior executive, multi-level coach, & player, contributed to providing him a unique perspective into global basketball development. In China, McCarthy has participated for over 20 years in every area and level of basketball from event organizer, coach/player clinician & author, university lecturer, Olympic consultant, and philanthropist working with 4 national sports associations as well as creating a unique pyramid (local-international) model for sport development, and implementing cutting edge corporate/client care programs to maximize sports rights & benefits.

Zheng Wen

Mr. Zheng Wen has worked as President for InfrontChina,Managing Director Greater China for Octagon and Marketing & LicensingManager for IMG U.S. H/Q. Mr. Zheng is the first Chinese heading the China business for major international sports marketing companies. Mr. Zheng is one of the senior executives in the sports marketing area, who has combined 20 years working experience, international perspective, overseas and local management expertise as well as the insights in the New Economy.

Shoto ZHU, Founder and CEO, OCEANS SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT INC

Working in sports industry at his 18th year, Shoto ZHU has become one of the key opinion leaders in sport marketing in Asia. After providing his services to the J.League, FIFA Marketing, Dentsu Sports and China Football Association in the early years, Shoto founded the company OCEANS Sports & Entertainment Inc which then grow into a key market player in the Chinese booming sport industry in recent years. Listed in Chinese Stock Exchange Market at Jan 2014, OCEANS is now providing its services to Federations, Clubs, Brands and Media companies for sport management, sponsorship consultancy and media rights acquisition/sales, as well as investing in growing sport properties all over Asia.

Mason Gordon

Mason Gordon is a proven brand-builder, having produced innovative sports projects since rolling out the original sport, SlamBall with Mike Tollin on Spike TV and CBS. SlamBall has produced over a hundred episodes of television programming to date and aired in 91 countries. In partnership with Michael Sun, SlamBall China has further developed the game, expanding into grass roots and dedicated SlamBall Centers, in addition to hosting the last two World Championship Series. Gordon has since produced NBA Summer Dreams for CBS, following pro basketball prospects from the highest draft picks to the longest of long shots, The Making of the SuperBowl Halftime Show with Katie Perry for the NFL, a 48 film series for Vice Sports and the critically acclaimed comedy The Comeback: Baron Davis for NBA on TNT. Mr. Gordon is currently the Co-Chairman of Multinational SlamBall Athletic Association, CEO of SlamBall LLC. and Executive Producer of Manadaly Sports Media LLC.