NBA CHINA ANNOUNCES FIRST “EXHIBIT” TO OPEN IN HAINAN

HAIKOU, HAINAN, Oct. 9, 2018 – NBA China announced today that the NBA’s first permanent exhibition in China – “The Exhibit and Store” – will open in Haikou on Hainan Island on Oct. 18.  Launched in partnership with the Mission Hills Group, the 2275-square-meter facility will showcase the excitement of the game and the rich history of the league.  

The multi-level experience will use interactive exhibits, video and imagery to showcase the passion of the league, its teams and players, journeying back to the league’s early years and exploring the many ways the NBA has grown since 1946.

As part of the exhibition, fans will have the opportunity to engage with the league through customized activations, including virtual reality experiences, augmented reality games, interactive memorabilia display and technology-driven photo opportunities. Fans can also purchase a broad assortment of merchandise, fan apparel and basketball gear in the retail Store to take a piece of the exhibition home with them.

The NBA Exhibit and Store will be open seven days a week from 10am to 8pm at Mission Hills Centerville, a 240,000-square-meter fashion shopping and entertainment complex located within the 22-square-kilometre luxury Mission Hills Haikou resort on the international tourism island of Hainan.

The NBA Exhibit and Store is part of a multiyear partnership between Mission Hills Group and NBA China, announced in 2017, that will also feature another NBA Basketball School in China. 

The NBA Basketball School at Mission Hills Haikou will be open to male and female players, from junior level to professionals and will be completed in early 2020.  The school will include five indoor courts and other state-of-the-art facilities.  NBA China will operate and staff the facility with NBA-trained coaches and provide the basketball development curriculum.  NBA players and legends will visit the school to provide additional instruction and help foster player development.

About NBA China

The NBA’s entity that conducts all of the league’s businesses in China was formed in January 2008 after its first office opened in Hong Kong in 1992.  The NBA currently has relationships with a network of television and digital media outlets in China, including a 30-plus year partnership with CCTV.  The league hosts hundreds of touring basketball events for fans, conducts community enrichment programs, and maintains marketing partnerships with a combination of world-class China-based corporations and U.S.-based multinationals.  

NBA-licensed apparel and footwear are available through retail and authorized online stores on e-commerce and social media platforms, including NBAStore.cn, Tmall.com, JD.com, NBAStore.hk and NBAStore.tw.  In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to play games in China.  Following NBA China Games 2018, 17 NBA teams will have played 26 games in China.

NBA-licensed apparel and footwear are available through retail and authorized online stores on e-commerce and social media platforms, including NBAStore.cn, Tmall.com, JD.com, NBAStore.hk and NBAStore.tw.  In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to play games in China.  Following NBA China Games 2018, 17 NBA teams will have played 26 games in China.

About Mission Hills Group

Mission Hills Group, owner and operator of Mission Hills resorts in the heart of the Pearl River Delta and on the tropical island of Hainan, is synonymous with leisure, wellness, entertainment and luxury. 

Founded in 1992, Mission Hills is recognized as one of the world’s leading golf brands and a pioneer in China’s hospitality, sports and leisure industry. The world-class integrated leisure and wellness resort destinations have hosted more than 100 international tournaments, dating back to the World Cup of Golf in 1995, the first international golf tournament in China. Mission Hills has also been accredited by the Guinness World Records as the “World’s Largest Golf Club” and the “World’s Largest Mineral Springs and Spa Resort”. 

Mission Hills’ properties sprawl over 40 square kilometers. They include 22 championship courses designed by renowned players and architects from five continents, five-star resorts, award-winning spas and volcanic mineral springs, international convention centers, state-of-the-art golf academies, a 20-pitch football training base, Asia’s largest basketball school and Asia’s biggest tennis facility. Mission Hills is also the official training headquarters for China’s Tennis, Football and Golf Associations. 

The Group’s ‘golf and more’ leisure philosophy has seen its tourism-related business expand into a leisure hub for multi-generational families. Mission Hills Centreville in Shenzhen and Haikou provides integrated shopping, recreational, business, education, entertainment, leisure and cultural experiences, including Bromsgrove School Mission Hills in Shenzhen in collaboration with the historic British boarding school. Mission Hills has also extended its foray into the hospitality industry by partnering with world-renowned hotel brands such as Hard Rock, Renaissance and Ritz-Carlton. These collaborations have seen the opening of Ritz-Carlton’s first golf resort hotel in China and China’s first Hard Rock Hotel in Shenzhen. 

Other significant projects include Movie Town in Haikou in partnership with China’s largest film production company, Huayi Brothers Media Corporation and award-winning director, Feng Xiaogang and China’s first Wet’n’Wild water park in collaboration with Australia’s leading entertainment group and largest theme park operator, Village Roadshow Limited. 

Mission Hills has also announced ground-breaking partnerships with FC Barcelona and the NBA to bring the world’s most famous football club and the world’s largest professional basketball league to its Haikou resort, making Hainan island a leading hub for football and basketball development in China. 

For more information and latest updates, visit www.missionhillschina.com or follow Mission Hills China on social media.