Basketball in China has become quite a phenomenon, one would have to personally see it to better grasp the passion for basketball in the country, and the figures show precisely that: according to the NBA, there are already more than 300 million enthusiasts of the sport in the country, which is equivalent to virtually the entire population of the United States, and it is also the most popular sport and a favorite of 45% of the population under 30 years of age. This culture has been built since the “Yao Ming Effect”, with heavy incentives from public policies and from brands such as the NBA, Jordan Brand, to name just a few in the Asian country
There are several cities around the world that are known worldwide where basketball culture is very widespread and lived by locals, and whenever we write about China, Beijing must be put into perspective. In these cities, its courts are the initiations of games a place where everything happens. Much like Venice Beach in Los Angeles and Rucker Park in New York, the basketball courts at the Dongdan Sports Complex represent the heart of the sport in the city.
After ten editions of Sunset Dongdan, which is an annual event and the main Chinese street basketball "Pro Am" tournament, the competition has been increasingly attracting the attention of players, fans and basketball enthusiasts from all over the world, so they go to Beijing to attend the event live.
The tournament is annual and has a game model in which the competitions take place on weekends, it also has performances of Chinese rappers, 1-on-1 competition and, of course, the classic slam-dunking contest. Its importance for the city is visceral mainly for the consolidation of the street basketball culture not only in Beijing, but in the entire Chinese territory, providing fun among amateurs and an opportunity for new players to show every skill they have on the courts. Another example of this is MoreFree, a well-known Chinese streetballer who even took his team to the 2015 Quai54 and now is part of the Beijing basketball scene as a leading figure and current court sports commentator.
Like Quai54 in Paris, the Jordan Brand is also a main sponsor of Sunset Dongdan, now called simply #NextStopDongdan, and sees the importance of encouraging basketball tournaments outside the US that connect so much with their communities.
When asked by a Chinese news portal about the importance of the tournament and the rise of the sport, Liu Jie, one of the players in the last edition, said: “Whether you play or watch, you must step into that court to see the spectacle for yourself, to see how explosive it is. Dongdan is China’s basketball ‘Holy Land.’ It’s inspired China’s young people and basketball hobbyists to chase their dreams”.
In order to successfully conclude the 2021 edition of Sunset Dongdan, the Jordan Brand launched a special collection comprised of an Air Jordan 6, an Air Jordan 36 and a Hydro Slide, all of them inspired by the colors of the sunset on the court and with the event logo on the back.
We at STREETOPIA are always on the lookout for tournaments such as Quai54 and #NextStopDongdan that serve as a cultural reference and for the events we organize.
Chinese basketball currently at full throttle!
