Wizards Commemorate 30th Anniversary of Historic Trip to China with Return Visit in September

Thirty years ago Abe Pollin and the Washington Bullets accepted the invitation of Chinese leader Deng Xiao Ping to become the first NBA team to visit China. Following a signing of normalization of relations between the United States and China by President Jimmy Carter, Pollin took the team overseas with then Bullets Center (and now NBA Hall of Famer) Wes Unseld.

Today, the Wizards are commemorating the historic trip with a 10-day visit from September 5-15 to the cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Yingxiu. Former Bullets players Wes Unseld and Gheorghe Muresan will be joined by current Wizards players Caron Butler and Randy Foye, as well as several team officials including Wizards President of Business Operations Peter Biché, Wizards Director of Player Programs Ed Tapscott and Assistant Coach Wes Unseld Jr. Tony Cheng, from Washington, D.C’s Chinatown neighborhood nearby Verizon Center, will also join the trip.

“We thought the best way to pay homage to the anniversary of our historic trip in 1979 was to return to China, because thirty years ago it was unheard of to travel overseas with an NBA team,” said Pollin. “I am very proud that we were the first NBA team to visit China, and I’m thrilled that NBA fans there will have an opportunity to re-connect with our franchise through former players like Wes and Gheorghe and current players like Caron and Randy.”

The 10-day trip to China will include several philanthropic activities at local universities and high schools, as well as a series of basketball clinics, including one with the China Basketball Association’s championship team, Guangdong Hongyuan. The Wizards delegation will also visit the resettlement town of Chengdu, which includes survivors from the record setting 7.9 earthquake in Yingxiu in 2008.

Hosting the Washington Wizards for this commemorative trip are the China People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. The U.S. State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the U.S. Consulates in surrounding cities for the trip, and the Starbridge Media Group are also actively involved in the planning for the 10-day visit.