Jeremy Lin leads NBA’s record-setting Chinese New Year celebrations
NBA announces plans for festivities from February 2 to March 3 with Brooklyn Nets guard Lin to visit the home of his maternal grandmother in Pinghu, China
Brooklyn Nets guard Jeremy Lin will meet NBA fans from China as part of the league’s record-setting 2018 Chinese New Year celebration.
A record 12 NBA clubs will host in-arena celebrations while a record 93 NBA games will be telecast in the China region as part of the league’s seventh consecutive holiday celebration, running from February 2 to March 3.
The league also debuted a series of television spots on Friday as part of the celebration, the “Fireworks” campaign including five-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, five-time NBA All-Star and NBA champion Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics and 2014 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs.
Nets guard Lin, the NBA’s first Chinese-American player, will be the subject of a 10-minute documentary on his visit to the home of his maternal grandmother in Pinghu, China, and on February 6 the NBA’s Weibo account will feature a live stream with Lin answering questions from fans and taking part in a traditional Chinese New Year dinner.
Three members of NBA China’s fan loyalty programme, NBA Qiu Mi Quan, will travel to New York to meet Lin and watch the Nets play the Houston Rockets on February 6.
Retired Jason Williams, who helped the 2006 Miami Heat win an NBA championship, will visit China to donate sports equipment and a music room to underprivileged students in Lijiang on Monday, then travel to Shanghai to host two Chinese New Year celebrations and basketball clinics for Special Olympics athletes at NBA Playzone on Wednesday and Shanghai Yumiao migrant school next Thursday.