After winning his third NBA Championship this past season, LeBron decided to take a break from the Olympics to rest and reflect with Cleveland’s first Larry O’Brien trophy in the city’s history. But sailing the Mediterranean and potentially filming a Space Jam sequel isn’t all LeBron has been up to either, as the NBA superstar made his 12th straight summer trip to China as the focal point of the Nike LeBron James 2016 Asia Tour visiting both Guangzhou and Beijing last week.
LeBron landed in Guangzhou to visit the High School Basketball League All-Star Game where he ran shooting drills and multiple skills competitions. Over 8,000 fans showed up at the Tianhe Sports Center for his appearance which culminated in LeBron sinking a half-court shot to win the final shooting showdown of that night.
Over 10,000 fans showed up the next day for a Guangzhou-style Championship Parade to honor LeBron and the Cavaliers’ historic victory over the Golden State Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals. When asked what kept him and his team going after falling down to a 3 games to 1 deficit, LeBron responded, “All of these people. I have been coming here for a long time and knowing that I had this kind of support behind me keeps me going.” James then visited the Nike Rise Academy program at the Guangdong Experimental High School where he ran drills with the local High School team and even watched game film with the athletes in attendance to preach attention to the finer details.
Beijing was the last leg of the tour, and James focused his time on working with the Under-23 Chinese National Basketball Team. This marked the first time that Nike Basketball has partnered with the Chinese National Basketball Federation directly. The trip proved that both LeBron and Nike Basketball have left a profound legacy and continue to impact the growing global interest of basketball in China and other territories for years to come.
