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Kyrie Irving and ANTA will launch a 2026 world tour beginning June 22 in Shanghai, with stops across China, Indonesia, and the United States, the brand announced Thursday. The tour, branded “The Return,” will move through Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Jakarta, Las Vegas, New Jersey, and Macau between June 22 and October. It is Irving’s third major tour for the brand, where he serves as ANTA Basketball’s chief creative officer.
Draymond Green: "Li-Ning also plans to build Curry brand stores in the United States and in China. One factor that was key in his decision to go with Li-Ning, they said was the comfort while he was testing the shoes of two of their signature athletes, Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade. And I know that to be factual because one and how they treat those guys, because one big thing when Steph signed with Under Armour way back in the day was actually how they treated Kent Bazemore and the sneakers that Kent Bazemore was wearing as Steph tried the sneakers and he saw how they was treating Bazemore. That was one key thing that he saw when he was signing with Under Armour. So I know that this was key in him signing with Li-Ning."
“This is crazier now. When we played, there was no social media,” Frazier said. “There wasn’t any foreign players. Now, you have Hispanic fans. All different nationalities. China. It’s an international sport now. But [the Knicks fan] hoopla is uncanny. And you see it when we go on the road. They just take over places. They are unequivocally the No. 1 fan. … “For the [Knicks] fans, they deserve it for the respect they give. I’ve been an ambassador for 50 years. That’s how long it’s been since our last title. They’re going to need the National Guard in New York if they win. They’re going to light our city up.”
Lev Akabas: This chart tells a lot of the story about Steph Curry's new sneaker deal with Li-Ning 🏀👟💰 The Chinese market is a massive opportunity for Steph, but Western sportswear brands like Nike have stagnated in China, while Li-Ning is growing 📈
After appearing in just one game in the Chinese CBA, American rapper and hip-hop star J. Cole is leaving the Nanjing Monkey Kings. Cole's brief stint in China came to an early end after only eight minutes of playing time due to visa issues, as he explained in a post on his online blog. Initially, the multi-platinum artist had planned to participate in at least three games for the Nanjing Monkey Kings. However, delays in the work visa process meant he was only able to suit up once before returning home.
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In a shock decision rarely seen in the league, the Chinese Basketball Association club Ningbo Rockets announced that it’s immediately going to waive United States’ import Darius Bazley, citing the player’s “serious violation of professional ethics”. The club, which is going all out in the final stretch of the regular season to try to secure a playoff spot, announced it will cut Bazley, a former NBA player, after the 25-year-old forward lost control of his emotions and got involved in fierce physical altercation with teammates over a turnover during Ningbo’s 97-119 loss to league leader Shanghai Sharks on Wednesday. With one minute and 51 seconds left in the first quarter, Bazley got into a heated debate with teammate Zavier Simpson, another of Ningbo’s US imports, over a turnover, which saw Bazley’s careless in-bound pass intercepted by Shanghai’s Zhang Zhenlin, resulting in a quick 3-pointer.
Rap megastar J. Cole has signed a contract to play in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Nanjing Monkey Kings, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. The multi-Grammy-Award-winning and multi-Platinum artist had committed to playing a few games for the Chinese team last year and is now following through.
This is the third time Cole, whose full name is Jermaine Cole, has played in a professional sports league. He played with the Rwanda Patriots in the Basketball Africa League in 2021 and with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2022. He played high school basketball in North Carolina.
Leafy: J. Cole just opened a Douyin account (the Chinese version of TikTok) and followed five accounts related to the Nanjing Tongxi basketball team. CBA Cole soon? Leafy: J. Cole's first Douyin video update. "China🇨🇳, What's the word"
Jose Alvarado: “I did get arrested because they thought it was me. So the whole process UCLA versus Georgia Tech, we played in China. Forgot about that. So obviously the situation that knows the situation, but they say the police out there said they got confused and they thought it was me and one of my other teammates too. So I literally got arrested, went to the police station for like six, seven hours and then finally made it clear that obviously you could tell who it was."
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“I’ve always made it a point to develop relationships, and sometimes it might just be when you see each other at the gym. But that’s not the case with us,” Booker said. “We hang out outside of the court, outside of practice.” Their relationship started the day of the trade, when Brooks phoned Booker. The bond grew in August during a teamwide retreat to Booker’s summer home in Flagstaff, which included talks late into the night in front of a fire pit. Their connection was then cemented in the preseason, over a probing conversation while playing blackjack in a China casino. And ultimately, the two knew they had found the perfect teammate when they were together in a gym training for the upcoming season.
“She chose to play for a country that is literally responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of its own people, and literally running a concentration camp while we’re talking,” Freedom said, comparing Gu’s silence on the issue to LeBron James’ declining a question about China’s alleged human rights abuses in 2019.
Marc Stein: Alize Johnson has signed a lucrative deal to join the Shenzhen Leopards, agent George S. Langberg of GSL Sports Group tells @TheSteinLine . The five-year NBA veteran averaged 20.6 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for the Timberwolves’ @nbagleague affiliate in Iowa.
Sean Highkin: Yang Hansen has once again been assigned to the Remix and will play tonight vs. Oklahoma City Blue. I'm told this game will also be broadcast in China on Tencent.