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The Charlotte Hornets announced today that they will take part in the 2015 NBA Global Games, which means the team will fly to China this October and play two exhibitions against the Los Angeles Clippers, among other goodwill events.
The Hornets will play the Clippers in Shenzen on October 11 (the first NBA game to be played in that city) and in Shanghai on October 14. The team will also participate in a number of off-the-court goodwill activities and the NBA continues to build its brand overseas. These games will be the 19th and 20th NBA games played in China, which has become a basketball hotbed since the days of Yao Ming.
The game represents a golden opportunity for the team to bond and build chemistry, which is huge in the NBA, as we all know.
"Camaraderie is one of the most important things in team sports in my opinion," Kemba Walker told Matt Rochinski of Hornets.com, "so for us to be able to take this trip and be able to bond and become closer to one another, it'll be great for us."
This will not be the first time a Charlotte Hornets team has played overseas. The original Charlotte Hornets played games in Paris and Bologna, Italy back in 1994.
It is a great sign and an honor that NBA chose the Hornets of all the teams in the Association to represent their brand overseas. It probably also helps that Michael Jordan will join the team on their overseas excursion.
So who wants to go on a road trip to China this fall?