SPORTS> China
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SPORTS> China
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NBA eyes joint league, opportunities in China
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-18 22:04 The NBA will partner with the entertainment firm AEG and Chinese investors to build and operate the arenas, with the Shanghai building expected to cost up to 277 million dollars, the league announced earlier this week. The NBA and AEG currently manage and operate Beijing's Wukesong Gymnasium, a state-of-the-art arena that was the venue for basketball at the Beijing Olympics. Saturday's game was also played at Wukesong. "To be here and watch the game in this beautiful arena, we are getting to see what the potential is for a new arena infrastructure," Stern said. "We want to show our fans what it is to watch a game in an arena like this and think about games like this in Shanghai, in Guangzhou and in other Chinese cities that would have arenas like this." Up to 10 other arenas will be built in other Chinese cities under arrangements that will include Chinese domestic investors, as well as cooperation with the government, the league said earlier. In the future, the NBA would bring more games to China and the sparkling new venues, possibly including the Houston Rockets and their Chinese All Star centre Yao Ming, Stern said. "As we see new buildings coming online, the people who will be building them and operating them will like very much to be having as many games as they can," Stern said. "So in one way or another we will have to provide more sports games for the very wonderful sports fans here in China." In January this year, NBA China was formed to handle all NBA business here, with the Walt Disney Company and Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-shing among those who combined to buy an 11 percent stake in the company for 253 million dollars.
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