Developing basketball talent in China

It’s the power of purple.

And, it’s what happens when Western alumni take good ideas and together, make them great.

It happened again this week when Ken Chu, BACS’96, LLD’07, Chairman and CEO of Mission Hills Group, and his brother Tenniel Chu along with NBA China CEO David Shoemaker, LLB’96, announced they will set up China’s first NBA Basketball School.

The school, which will be open to male and female players from junior level to professionals, will be located on the grounds of Mission Hills Haikou Resort on Hainan Island. It will include six indoor courts and other state-of-the-art facilities. 

Mission Hills Group will be responsible for designing and building the school, while NBA China will operate and staff the facility with NBA-trained coaches and provide the basketball development curriculum. NBA players and legends will visit the school to provide additional instruction and help foster player development.

Construction of the facility will begin later this year and will be completed in 2019.

“This groundbreaking NBA Basketball School in Haikou further builds upon on our commitment to developing young basketball talent in China,” said Shoemaker.

“We are delighted that Mission Hills Group shares our vision and are thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the government’s pledge to grow a sporting culture in Hainan Province,” he added.

In addition to the school, an NBA interactive experience and store will be located at Mission Hills Centreville, a 240,000-square-meter shopping and entertainment complex located within the 22-square-kilometer Mission Hills Haikou resort. The NBA interactive experience and store will be a multimedia exhibition and retail space celebrating the league’s history and providing fans with an assortment of merchandise, including jerseys, fan apparel, basketballs and accessories.

Learn more at the Mission Hills Media Center.