Klay Thompson to visit China to promote NBA Global Games

Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors will visit China from June 15 to 23 to promote the NBA Global Games 2013 – Beijing and Shanghai.

Thompson will host basketball clinics, meet and greet fans in Xi'an, Beijing and Chengdu, and participate in special programs conducted by NBA's marketing, television and digital partners in China.

The NBA Global Games 2013 in Beijing and Shanghai will feature the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. The teams will play on Oct 15 at 7:30 pm at the MasterCard Center in Beijing, and then travel to Shanghai for a game at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on Oct 18 at 7:30 pm.

The games in Beijing and Shanghai are authorized and supported by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Sports. These games will mark the seventh edition of NBA preseason games in China.

The Lakers' roster includes 15-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant, eight-time NBA All-Star Steve Nash and four-time NBA All-Star Pau Gasol. This will be the first time the 16-time NBA champions play preseason games in Asia.

The Warriors feature a talented young roster led by Stephen Curry, the NBA's record holder for three pointers made in one regular season, 2013 NBA All-Star David Lee, Thompson and Harrison Barnes. This will be the Warriors second trip to China - the team played in the NBA China Games 2008 in Beijing and Guangzhou.

"We're thrilled to continue the tradition of delivering the excitement of an NBA game to our loyal fans in China, this time with a great match up featuring the Lakers and Warriors," said NBA China CEO David Shoemaker. "We are grateful for the support from the CBA and both the Beijing and Shanghai sports bureaus, and we will continue to work closely with them to further develop basketball in China."

"We extend our warmest welcome to the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors to our city," said Li Yingchuan, director general of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports. "We are glad to work with NBA China to bring the excitement of live basketball to fans in Beijing once again."

"NBA Global Games is the highlight of this year's Shanghai sports calendar," said Chen Yiping, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Sports. "Along with the millions of NBA fans we are looking forward to an exciting game between these two great teams."

"It is amazing to see the passion and excitement that the fans have for the game of basketball. I am humbled that they follow the Golden State Warriors and root for me and my team," said Thompson.

The NBA Global Games will see eight NBA teams play in eight cities in six countries and regions this October. The schedule – which will feature the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, Lakers and the Warriors - will also include the first-ever NBA preseason game in Brazil, and in the cities of Bilbao, Spain, and Manchester, England. It will also include games in Beijing, Istanbul, Shanghai, and Taipei.

To date, the NBA has staged 138 preseason and regular-season games in 19 countries and regions across Europe, the Americas and Asia since 1978.

In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to play games in China, with two games between the Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings in Shanghai and Beijing. The league has hosted 13 games in China since 2004.