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Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard appears in the NBA’s latest round of global advertisements to celebrate Chinese New Year. Joe Freeman of The Oregonian details how the league has a variety of activities planned to recognize China’s most popular holiday as part of NBA games. The NBA is incredibly popular in China, and of course China is in turn a large market for the NBA.
The annual celebration will feature 65 NBA games over 20 days, a series of television spots and in-arena activities at 15 NBA venues. Lillard is featured alongside Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Golden State Warriors All-Star Klay Thompson in the videos, which highlight “the best parts of the Chinese New Year.” The videos — titled “When It Begins,” “Favorite Part” and “So Special” — include messages about family, reunions, fireworks and the unique traditions surrounding China’s most celebrated holiday.
The ads show Dame sharing how his holiday starts with a dunk, his appreciation for fireworks, and how much he likes the color red, along visuals of Rip City. The Blazers will participate in the Chinese New Year celebrations via a game versus the Golden State Warriors on February 13th.