COURT OF APPEAL
A new star-studded reality TV show is tapping into young Chinese people’s love of basketball, Chen Nan reports.
Chinese-American basketball player, Jeremy Lin has added a new string to his bow, landing his first role in a Chinese reality show, Dunk of China.
“Tipping off” on Aug 18, the reality show, a co-production between video streaming platform Youku and Zhejiang Satellite TV, gathers more than 160 young Chinese amateur basketball players, who compete in rounds of 3-on-3 until one group is named the victor. The show will be aired weekly on both Youku and Zhejiang Satellite TV.
Lin, the former LA Laker and current point guard for the Atlanta Hawks, along with Chinese celebrities including pop megastar Jay Chou from Taiwan, singer-actor Li Yifeng and national basketball team player Guo Ailun, will serve as one of the team captains in the reality show. The four celebrities will be divided into two groups and will lead the participants in their on-court showdowns.
The 29-year-old Lin is among the NBA’s most popular players among fans in China.
“We’ve been seeing many talented and passionate young people in China who love basketball. They share my passion and dream about the game,” says Lin in Beijing.
Born to Taiwan immigrants and growing up in San Francisco, Lin earned himself the title of Northern California player of the year as a senior in high school.
With no athletic scholarship offers, he attended Harvard University where he was an all-conference player in the Ivy League.
Before the trappings of fame and NBA stardom found him, Lin was undrafted after college and slept on the couch in the living room of his brother’s small apartment.
“In my career, I’ve experienced some bad moments but I always remind myself of my dream about playing basketball as a young boy,” says Lin, adding that through the reality show, he not only wants to showcase the basketball playing techniques but also demonstrate the power of persistence.
Lin says that he agreed to join in the show because of his friendship with Chou.
In 2016, Lin appeared in Chou’s music video for his song Turkish Ice Cream, which was recorded for Chou’s 14th studio album, Jay Chou’s Bedtime Stories.
The music video, which has Lin playing the piano and even showing off some dance moves, received over 5 million views on YouTube.
Chou, 39, who wears many hats as a singer, songwriter, movie director and businessman, has displayed his love for basketball since high school.
Back in 2000, on his debut album, Jay, he wrote and sang a song about a 3-on-3 basketball game, titled Basketball Match.
He also starred in Chinese action-comedy movie, Kung Fu Dunk, in 2008. He made his Hollywood debut in 2011 with The Green Hornet, starring alongside Seth Rogen and Christoph Waltz as the eponymous hero’s sidekick, Kato. In 2016, he played a role in the Hollywood movie, Now You See Me 2.
In 2013, Chou played one-onone with NBA legend Kobe Bryant in Shanghai.
This June, he co-launched JYB League, a 3-on-3 competition, which offers amateur players a platform to play the game.
“I’m not a professional basketball player, but I have been playing since I was a teenager. I was one of the members of my school team,” says Chou in Beijing. “I dreamed about getting off the bench and into the game. Though I didn’t have the chance, I still love the game and continue to play recreationally.
“I can still recall the screams of the girls when the school team played on the basketball court and the music was loud. When we shot the reality show, it reminded me of my school years.”
This summer, Youku offered comprehensive coverage of the FIFA 2018 World Cup with live streaming of all 64 games, which attracted about 200 million viewers, as well as a number of programs produced exclusively to celebrate one of the world’s most-watched sporting events.
Dunk of China is one of the reality shows under the This Is... series by Youku, aimed at showcasing Chinese youth culture. Other shows include This Is Fighting Robots and Street Dance of China.
According to Yi Hua, producer of Dunk of China, the reality show will offer the audience professional basketball knowledge, music and youth culture.
“We have been preparing the show for over a year and carried out more than 10,000 surveys on basketball culture in China. We found out that it is one of the most popular sports in the country, catering to people of different ages, occupations and regions,” says Yi in Beijing.
“This show is aimed at showcasing the vitality of young Chinese people rather than producing stars like many other Chinese reality shows.”
She also mentions that besides the NBA, young audiences, especially those who were born after 1980, grew up reading Slam Dunk, a sports-themed manga series written and illustrated by Japanese artist Takehiko Inoue, which is a from-failure-to-success story of a Japanese high school basketball team.
“Dunking is always the most amazing moment on the basketball court,” Yi says.
“It’s about courage, confidence and teamwork.”
Besides being broadcast online, the show is set to visit more than 200 universities in China this summer, to offer a wider platform to young Chinese basketball lovers, Yi adds.
The producer says that the 3-on-3 game is gaining in popularity in China, which is why the reality show is based on the format.
Last June, the International Olympic Committee approved the addition of a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to the 2020 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo.
Moreover, in January, the Chinese Basketball Association announced it would stage another national 3-on-3 tournament in the buildup to the Tokyo Olympics, which will be open to amateurs and professionals alike.
The winning team will also have the chance to play at the Games.
CBA president Yao Ming said at a news conference for the Road to Olympics — National 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament in Beijing this January, that he believes 3-on-3 has opened a new window of opportunity for Chinese basketball, because it is an emerging form of basketball that is new to almost every country in the world.