Basketball sharing takes the court in eastern China

A basketball-sharing locker is seen in Jiaxing, Zhejiang province. [Photo/Weibo]

Basketball players in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang province, now can enjoy the sport without bringing their own basketballs, thanks to a local company's new basketball-sharing service, Beijing Youth Daily reports.

The company has introduced several pilot lockers with basketballs at the city's public and campus courts. Users can borrow and return a basketball through the company's WeChat account after paying a 29-yuan ($4.2) deposit. One basketball costs 1.5 yuan for half an hour.

The lockers are equipped with a camera to ensure the process is completed properly. According to the company, the lockers can also hold personal items for users.

A photo of the lockers was posted online by a Weibo user, China's version of Twitter, which intrigued many netizens.

"It's indeed troublesome to bring a basketball oneself. With the service, you can rent a ball near the court when you want to play and return it afterwards and don't need to be burdened by anything if you want to go somewhere else," Weibo user xiaohaierhaipi wrote.

A company staff member said the pilot project is going well in Jiaxing and the service will soon be expanded to other cities nationwide.