Event 1: NBA video was broadcast for the first time in 1986
In 1986, NBA Entertainment mailed a videotape to CCTV from across the ocean. It was a videotape of the Lakers vs. Lakers in the 1985 NBA Finals. Video of Celtics Game 6. At that time, after the video was broadcast on CCTV, it immediately caused a nationwide stir. It was the first time for Chinese fans to witness such a high-level basketball game. That videotape was the first time Chinese fans saw an NBA game on TV, and it also marked the beginning of the NBA's entry into China.
Event 2: Stern signed a broadcast agreement in 1989
Three years later, the young NBA president David Stein brought NBA tapes to China. At that time, David Stein had just taken office, and under his leadership, the NBA had just begun to have an impact on a global scale.
Stein came to the CCTV studio with the tape and showed the NBA tape to the staff. He also said that if CCTV needs it, he can provide the videotape for free. Since then, Chinese fans have been able to watch a certain number of NBA games every year. Although these games are not very effective, they have begun to feast their eyes on Chinese fans. It was at that time that CCTV signed a broadcast agreement with the NBA.
Event 3: The first interview with the All-Star Game in 1994
The 1993-1994 NBA All-Star Game was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the first All-Star Game since Jordan retired. In the All-Star Game, Jordan's teammate Pippen won the MVP of that game. That was the first time CCTV went to the United States to broadcast an NBA game. Since then, CCTV has sent people to interview every year during the All-Star Game.
Event 5: Live broadcast of the first game of the 1994 Finals
After broadcasting the All-Star Game, CCTV broadcast the finals again in the same year. The two teams that entered the finals at that time It's the Houston Rockets led by Olajuwon and the New York Knicks led by Ewing. This was the first time that Chinese fans saw the finals broadcast live. Subsequently, CCTV broadcast the remaining 6 games of the finals on video.
Event 5: Wang Zhizhi landed in the NBA in 2001
After Chinese fans have become accustomed to seeing NBA games every year, they are more concerned about the question, who will be the first to land in the NBA? Chinese players. After Song Tao and Ma Jian missed the NBA, this burden fell on the young Bayi team center Wang Zhizhi.
In June 1999, Wang Zhizhi was selected in the second round by the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. Two years later, Wang Zhizhi officially landed and became the first Asian player in the NBA. On April 6, 2001, during the regular season match between the Dallas Mavericks and the Atlanta Hawks, Wang Zhizhi scored the first point for a Chinese player in the NBA.
Event 6: 2002 "Hip-hop Dance" Advertisement
In 2002, a Nike basketball commercial co-produced by many NBA stars was staged in China. In this advertisement, it was called "Hip-hop Dance" in advertising. White Chocolate Williams, Odom, Carter and other stars showed the charm of American street basketball to fans around the world for the first time. That advertisement made Chinese fans realize for the first time that there is such a way to play basketball. Starting from 2002, China began to set off a street basketball storm, and the street basketball storm is still fierce until now.
Event 7: Yao Ming became the No. 1 draft pick in 2002
After Wang Zhizhi became the No. 1 player in Asia in the NBA, Yao Ming, the 2.26-meter-tall Chinese giant, once again wrote a brilliant chapter in NBA history. of a sum. In 2002, Yao Ming joined the Houston Rockets as the first foreign No. 1 pick in NBA history. Since then, he has been selected into the starting lineup of the All-Star Game for the first time, participated in the playoffs for the first time, and became the top vote-getter in the history of the NBA All-Star Game... Yao Ming has set one record after another for Chinese players in NBA history.
Event 8: "Airman" Jordan's visit to China in 2004
The earliest impact of Chinese fans on NBA stars' visit to China should be David Robinson and Joe Smith's visit to Beijing in 1997. Over the years, among so many NBA stars who have visited China, Air Jordan is the most important one.
On May 18, 2004, Jordan, who had just retired, came to Beijing.
During this period, there was an unprecedented basketball craze in Beijing. Countless fans crowded into the Dongdan Basketball Stadium just to catch a glimpse of Air Jordan. During that visit to China, Jordan climbed the Great Wall and attended the award ceremony of the Nike high school basketball game.
Event 9: The 2004 NBA China Game was held
The night of October 14, 2004 was a historic moment, because at this moment the NBA game officially landed in China. At the Shanghai Arena, the Houston Rockets led by Yao Ming played an NBA preseason game with the Kings. Although it is not an NBA regular season, from the perspective of the scale of the game, this game is already comparable to the regular season. From the floor to the cameras, from the basketball stand to every seat, this NBA preseason game gives Chinese fans the opportunity to experience the feeling of the NBA live. Subsequently, the two teams held their first preseason game in Beijing.
Event 10: The 2006 Dream Team’s visit to China for a warm-up match
On the eve of this year’s Men’s Basketball World Championships, the U.S. team composed of current NBA stars such as James, Wade, and Anthony "Dream Team 7" came to Guangzhou, China to have a warm-up match with the Chinese Men's Basketball Team. This is the first time that so many popular NBA stars have come to China to play at the same time. This game caused Guangzhou to fall into a "dream-chasing" frenzy for a long time. After this game, NBA President David Stein said that he would plan to hold the regular season in China next year.