June 5, 2007
Orlando Magic forward Dwight Howard is in China this week to do some sponsor appearances, in addition to promotion for October's NBA China Games.
Howard arrived in Beijing on Monday and spent some time doing media interviews. On Tuesday, Howard paid a visit to the Lenovo office before appearing at an adidas store and taking part in an NBA.com/china chat session.
On Wednesday, Howard will make an appearance at the China Milk Movement for Love Campaign press conference before heading to the airport to catch a two-hour flight to Shanghai. After arriving in Shanghai, Howard will spent the remainder of Wednesday filming some tune-in tags for the NBA.
Day Four will have the Magic big man making an appearance at a Shanghai adidas store before arriving at a ticket launch lighting ceremony at Pearl Tower.
On Friday morning, Howard will appear at a broadcast studio during Game One of the NBA Finals before showing up at a community clinic later in the afternoon. Howard will spend portions of Saturday during media interviews before Sunday's ticket launch at Shanghai Stadium. At the ticket launch, Howard will sign autographs for the first 100 fans who purchase tickets.
With tickets in high demand for the NBA’s first game in China in three years, the league will place limits on the number of tickets fans can buy. Fans will be able to purchase up to four tickets per transaction per each identity card. The NBA will make available specially priced student tickets for RMB200 and each student will be able to purchase a maximum of 4 tickets per student identity card.
The NBA China Games 2007 are comprised of three games featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Orlando Magic and the China Men’s National Team. NBA China Games 2007 will tip off on Oct. 17 with a game between the Cavaliers and the Magic in Shanghai at the Qizhong Forest Sports City arena with a capacity of 13,708. The event will then head to Macao where there will be two games at the new Venetian Arena with a capacity of 15,000. On Oct. 18, the Magic will take on the China Men’s National Team, and a rematch between the Magic and the Cavaliers will take place on Oct. 20.
NBA China Games 2007 will be the league’s second set of preseason games in China. In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to stage games in China, with two matchups between the Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings in Shanghai and Beijing. This year’s game between the Magic and the China Men’s National Team also will mark a special milestone in the NBA’s long-standing relationship with Chinese Basketball. The Magic will follow the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards) as the second NBA team to play a game against the Chinese National Team in China. The Bullets traveled to China in 1979 to play two exhibition games against the Chinese National Team.
