Friday, September 14
(1:38 p.m. - Beijing Time)

Steve Nash and Yao Ming hosted a charity dinner on Thursday that raised more than $1 million for underprivileged children in China. (Adam Pretty/NBAE/Getty Images)

Since we’ve gotten here, we have come up with a ton of different ideas that I can bring back to the states, to Southern California as well as the Bay Area and do some things to help raise money for local charities and local foundations.

Next up is the game. I’m going to go back to the hotel to take a nap and then it’s off to the game. It looks like we’re getting close to raising more than $2.5 million for underprivileged kids in China.

WHAT A PLACE
This morning, I worked out at The Regent Beijing, which is one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in. Then it was off to practice, where we got a chance to do shootaround with the Chinese national team. We got up a lot of shots, had some fun, took some pictures and then came in and had lunch at the Lan Club, which had to be the most artistic restaurant/club that I’ve ever been to, with almost $6 million in décor and interior design by Philippe Starck. He designed the place and they had all kinds of incredible art. No room was the same. There were canvas paintings all around the restaurant with different influences from different cultures. There was like 55,000 square feet with about 20 or 30 private dining rooms. During our meal, we toasted Steve Nash and BDA Sports for initiating this effort and I thanked them for inviting me to come over here and participate. We left the Lan Club with some great gifts. We got some Chinese stamps with our names in Chinese and they gave us some pearls.

We’ve been doing a lot of stuff together. We have had a lot of media responsibilities, but I’ve also had a lot of time to enjoy my time with the guys and just tour the city and get a great experience. One of the reasons we’re having a lot of fun is just laughing and joking and having a great time.

MORE THAN I EXPECTED
It’s been an overwhelming experience. I expected to see a lot, and I expected to do a lot and meet a lot of people, but it’s been somewhat more than I expected. The buildings are humongous and massive; the people are so cordial and very friendly and welcoming. This has been an awesome experience. I feel blessed to be in the position to do things that can help other people in other countries and to represent the Golden State Warriors over here. People are fans of the Warriors over here, except for this one guy today – he told me the Warriors stink in Chinese.

It's been a blast hanging out with the guys, but I can't wait to see my teammates again. (NBAE Photos)

Speaking of talented centers, my heart goes out to Greg Oden. He’s a nice kid and the good thing about it is he is a young kid and he’ll have some time to develop and get stronger. I hate to see that. Any time anybody gets injured, being a guy who has been injured, it’s just hard. I would just tell him to keep his head up and just work hard and try to get better. I know he’s a strong kid. I just want him to use the opportunity to just grow in basketball mentally and focus on being on being back on the court next year and I look forward to seeing him out there on the floor. I know he’s going to be back out there, but it’s going to be a tough mental process. He needs to just keep his head up, keep working, and keep driving. He has a lot of time on his side at 19 years old.

IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA
While I was in L.A. before I came over here, I got asked to make a couple of guest appearances, one for a TV show and one for a music video. I’m not sure if any of you saw it, but I made a guest appearance in an episode of Lincoln Heights on ABC Family on Tuesday night. I didn’t get a chance to see it since I was flying over here, but I’ll watch it soon. A family friend of mine produces the show, so it was great to be called upon to support them in that role. All the cast and people over there were great. I was also in the new Common video ‘Drivin’ Me Wild.’ That was another favor for a friend. Common’s in L.A. a lot, so we catch up from time to time. He asked me to hang out at his video shoot and when I got there he said he wanted me to be part of a shot. It was fun because my younger cousin (Young Faize) was with me and he’s a rapper and that was his first video shoot. If you watch, he’s the one that’s standing right next to me. You can check out the video right here if you want.

NEXT UP … TRAINING CAMP
I’m definitely getting ready for Hawaii. I’ve just been hitting the gym every day, lifting weights. The only thing I’m going to have to adjust to is the time. When I get back, it’s going to be fun. I can’t wait to see all my teammates. Being around this group of guys, it just really makes you miss your teammates and I can’t wait to see them.

Thanks for reading my blog, and I will see you when I return to the States.

Thursday, September 13
(1:05 p.m. - Beijing Time)

It's been great hanging out with all the guys who came over for the game. (NBAE Photos)

THE LONG TRIP TO CHINA
After a 14-hour trip through five cities, I’m finally in China, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. I came over with a bunch of guys who are playing in the charity game, including Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa, Chuck Hayes and Alando Tucker. We had a lot of fun hanging out, so the long plane ride wasn’t bad at all. The trip started when we boarded the plane in L.A. From there we went to Seattle, then from Seattle to Anchorage, then from Anchorage to Russia, and then from Russia to China. We got here on Tuesday afternoon and since then we’ve all been hanging out together and seeing the sights.

TAKING IT ALL IN
This is my first time in China, and the experience is already overwhelming. There are a lot of people, and they’re all very welcoming. Going to a foreign country really makes you realize how big the NBA is on a global scale because people on the street definitely recognize us. As soon as I stepped outside, people were asking for pictures and autographs. I really think that the team’s success last year has a lot to do with that.

We all went to the Forbidden City on Wednesday, and it was probably one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had in my life. There’s so much history and culture, and it’s great to have the chance to experience it first-hand. We also went to Tiananmen Square, which was another incredible experience. Everything is so eye-opening not only for me, but for all of us who came over here. I’ll be here until Saturday, so I’m looking forward to seeing even more of the culture and history here.

WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT
Steve [Nash] and Yao are putting on the game for an important reason. They want to raise awareness for all the poverty-stricken kids in China. They want to make sure these kids have the chance to be educated and healthy. The objective is similar to what my foundation (L.A. Stars) is all about, so I was excited to be a part of it. There’s so much potential for us to help make a difference. We’re role models across the world, so it’s important for us to come to a place like this and not only experience the culture, but also make a positive difference.

It’s been great hanging out with Steve. He’s an amazing guy. We’ve been talking and brainstorming about different things we want to do, and I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve never had the opportunity to sit and talk with him about a lot of these ideas, so it’s been cool to come together like this.

So far, I'm having a good time experiencing everything China has to offer. (NBAE Photos)

GETTING READY
As of right now, I’m about to eat some lunch, and then after that, we’re on our way to practice. It’s always fun to get a chance to be on the same practice floor as your rivals. We’re all looking forward to playing the game too. It’s great to know it’s going to be a primetime game with a lot of people watching. It’s an opportunity for us to get back into that mode. It gives us a small glimpse of things to come. I’ve been working out hard, so I’m just ready to get back on that court and start to get down.

Once I get back to the states, it will be just a couple weeks until we start training camp. I’m really looking forward to seeing my coach and my teammates and getting this thing off to a great start.

BACK SOON
I’ll be checking in again while I’m over here, so stay tuned for more.

For more information on the charity game, click here