Philadelphia’s young stars court China
NBA franchise pins hopes of global popularity on talented core players
With a young trio of stars heralding a new dawn, the Philadelphia 76ers is committed to boosting its popularity in China as the NBA franchise aspires to expand its global presence.
For most Chinese fans born around the new millennium, the Sixers have not been a force to be reckoned with in the league since Allen Iverson’s David-vs-Goliath battle against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers back in 2001.
However, the organization’s efforts to reinvent itself globally with the young core of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz has offered a privilege for young fans to witness a resurgence in their own age.
The rousing reception the Sixers received and the buzz the team created in Shanghai during its 2018 NBA China Games trip has boosted confidence in the outfit making further inroads in the league’s biggest overseas market.
“On behalf of the 76ers, we are thrilled to be here to play in front the Chinese fans. I feel personally excited to have that responsibility to make our team popular here again,” head coach Brett Brown said before an open practice at Shanghai’s Oriental Sports Center on Thursday.
Despite coming off a delayed long haul flight that spanned about 20 hours, the jet lag quickly wore off as the team received a warm welcome from the city of Shanghai, where the players were emblazoned on billboards lining the streets. The fans were out in force too, mobbing the team outside its hotel and wherever they appeared in public, many holding banners with the team’s slogan “Trust the Process”.
The team’s current situation is a far cry from two years ago, when the Sixers ended its 2015-16 campaign with only 10 wins, making it the second worst 82-game regular season team in NBA history. Philadelphia today is a place that freeagent stars want to come to.
The Sixers have pulled together an All-Star-caliber combination in Embiid, Simmons and Fultz through lottery picks, which is expected to help the franchise regain the stardom and exposure that last existed in the Iverson era.
Fultz, the Sixers’ No 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, said his generation is ready to make their own mark upon the legacy of The Answer.
“We want to represent the 76ers in a wide way by putting on a good show in front of Chinese fans,” said the 20-year-old playmaker.
“Allen Iverson has a big reputation here so we are trying to live up to that. Hopefully we can have a better one than he had and that’s definitely our goal.”
To hit the highs of the early 2000s, when Iverson led the underdog Sixers to reach the 2001 NBA Finals, the new Philly team needs to dominate the Eastern Conference first facing a head-to-head battle against another young power in Boston Celtics after perennial eastern top dog LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Lakers.
Painstaking as it has been, “The Process” is starting to bear fruit, with 2017-18 season All-NBA second team member Embiid and Rookie of the Year Simmons of Australia leading the team to the conference semifinals for the first time in six years.
With Fultz coming back stronger and hungrier from ankle and shoulder injuries, the Sixers are confident they can make some noise not just in the East in the new season.
“We have a goal of trying to play in the Finals,” said coach Brown. “We want to come out from the East and represent the East. That’s a big goal. I understand the magnitude of that mission. But we try to grow a young team and think like that.”
Simmons, a tall and versatile playmaking forward mirroring the style of James, said the team is more complete in the new season and ready for a higher goal.
“We want to capitalize on what we have as a team. We have the right pieces to win games and obviously go to the playoffs and do some damage,” said the first overall pick in the 2016 draft.
Putting its stars on display in China is just the first step of Philadelphia’s long-term vision that includes the future addition of a Chinese player.
“Yes we would love to have a Chinese national player here. If that opportunity presents itself, then I think we will take that opportunity,” Chris Heck, president of the organization, said in a Tencent interview.
Citing the long-lasting popularity of the Houston Rockets in China even long after its former All-Star center Yao Ming retired, Heck expects the Sixers to be another team embraced by Chinese fans.
“We think we can really do that as well. Not only we are excited about Australia with Ben and in Africa with Joel, but we also think in China, which is important to the global aspect of basketball, we can be their team as well.”
The Sixers’ official Weibo account in China already boasts nearly 2 million followers and a daily readership of over 200,000.
Back in the state of Pennsylvania, business is surging, with increased ticket sales and corporate partnerships showing 30 percent annual growth and the team rated in the NBA’s top five in terms of customer service.