NBA Brings Its Game to Asia

By Cris Larano and Josephine Cuneta

The National Basketball Association has brought its game to Asia, and it is looking to dominate.

Carlos Singson, country manager of NBA Asia for the Philippines, said the league is eager to expand in Asia, after having successfully built fan bases in China and the Philippines. He cited the region?s population and growing affluence as reasons the NBA sees Asia as ideal for its growth.

China is the NBA?s biggest market outside the U.S., not just because of its size but due to the country?s success in sending players to the league, including global celebrity Yao Ming. And in the Philippines, basketball has reached a near-religious popularity, where basketball courts can be found everywhere from inner city roads to dirt paths in rural areas.

Just last week, thousands of fans braved monsoon rains?some enduring two overnight vigils?to secure free tickets for the first visit of four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James.? Local hoop stars, meantime, have used their celebrity to launch movie and political careers long after they hung up their jerseys. The Philippine Basketball Association boasts of being the oldest professional basketball association in Asia, and college games are broadcast live on television.

?These two markets [China and the Philippines] are big for us. What we are trying to do is to also grow in other markets. We are talking about Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Australia. We are doing a lot of initiatives in those countries ? to develop the game,? Mr. Singson told The Wall Street Journal on the sidelines of the NBA?s launch of a three-on-three tournament scheduled for this weekend.

Southeast Asia Real Time Has More.

Source: http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2013/07/26/nba-brings-its-game-to-asia/?mod=WSJBlog

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