NBA serving up heaping helping for Chinese New Year

The National Basketball Association on Friday unveiled details of NBA Chinese New Year Celebration 2018, presented by Dongfeng Nissan.

The month-long extravaganza will showcase the NBA's biggest stars, the debut of a new television campaign, a record 93 games to be broadcast in China, and 12 NBA teams hosting in-arena activities from Feb 2 to March 3.

As part of the league's seventh straight season of celebrating Chinese New Year, a series of TV spots entitled Fireworks will debut, starring 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 two-time Defensive Player of the Year and 2014 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs.

During the Chinese New Year Celebration, fans throughout China will be able to watch 93 games with live broadcasts on CCTV, Tencent, BesTV, Guangdong TV, Great-Sports, Videoland, ELTA, Eleven Sports and LeSports (HK).

Retired star Jason Williams, who won a championship with the 2006 Miami Heat, was set to tip off the NBA Cares Season of Giving festivities in China with a donation of sports equipment and a music room to underprivileged students in Lijiang, Yunnan province, on the weekend.

Williams will also host two Chinese New Year celebrations and basketball clinics for Special Olympics athletes at the NBA Playzone in Shanghai on Jan 31 and at Shanghai Yumiao migrant school on Feb 1.

As part of the initiative, NBA China－in partnership with the China Youth Development Foundation and Spalding－will donate sports and educational equipment to three legacy projects in Yunnan, Hunan and Beijing, and Spalding basketballs to elementary students in each of China's 34 provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and special administrative zones.

Magical TV spot

Davis, Irving and Leonard will usher in Chinese New Year with a child and his family as they celebrate under fireworks.

Three different versions of the spot will air through March 3 across all of NBA China's television and digital partners' platforms, including NBA.com/China, the NBA App and the league's social media channels.

Key matchups

Feb 11－Spurs vs Golden State Warriors: In a rematch of the 2017 Western Conference Finals, LaMarcus Aldridge and the Spurs will visit Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the Warriors for the first time this season (Tencent, BesTV)

Feb 14－Cleveland Cavaliers vs Oklahoma City Thunder: LeBron James and the Cavs travel to Oklahoma City to face Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder (Tencent, BesTV)

Feb 19－NBA All-Star Game 2018: The 67th annual showcase will take place in Los Angeles with team captains Stephen Curry and LeBron James drafting the All-Star teams for the first time from a pool of players voted as starters and reserves by fans and media. (CCTV, Tencent, BesTV)

Feb 25－Thunder vs Warriors: Western Conference foes collide as the Warriors, wearing their Chinese heritage jerseys, take on the Thunder (Tencent, BesTV)

March 1－Houston Rockets vs LA Clippers: James Harden, Chris Paul and the Rockets head back to Los Angeles to play Blake Griffin and the Clippers for the third time this season (CCTV, Tencent, BesTV)

In-arena activities:

The record 12 NBA teams hosting Chinese New Yearthemed celebrations in their home arenas are the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Cavaliers, Warriors, Rockets, Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.

The Warriors and the Rockets will wear Nike City Edition uniforms with Chinese characters and symbols inspired by Chinese culture.

Special programming:

Jeremy Lin: Roots, A 10-minute documentary featuring an all-access look at Nets guard Jeremy Lin's recent journey back to Pinghu, China, the home of his maternal grandmother, will air across NBA China's TV and digital partners.

On Feb 6, the NBA's Weibo account will live stream with Lin as he enjoys a traditional Chinese New Year dinner and answers questions from fans.

Other events:

Chinese New Year NBA Qiu Mi Quan Fan Appreciation: Fans can visit the Chinese New Year mini-site via NBA Qiu Mi Quan (China's fan loyalty program) to access content, play the "New Year Dunk" red envelope game, and register for an NBA Qiu Mi Quan account for the chance to win prizes.

Three members of NBA Qiu Mi Quan will travel to Brooklyn, New York, to meet Jeremy Lin on Feb 5 and attend the Feb 6 game between the Nets and Houston.

Chinese New Year NBA Basketball Camp at Mission Hills Haikou: As a marketing partner of NBA Chinese New Year Celebration 2018, the NBA and Mission Hills Haikou will conduct an NBA Basketball Camp for boys and girls ages 6-18 from Feb 5-7, led by NBA-trained coaches.

Three members of NBA Qiu Mi Quan and their families will be invited to Mission Hills Haikou to attend the camp for free.