Kobe Bryant will lead the Los Angeles Lakers to Beijing on Oct. 15 to take on the Golden State Warriors, as NBA basketball returns to the Chinese capital in the 2013 Global Games.
Bryant returns to the MasterCard Center in Wukesong, where he and his U.S. teammates won Olympic gold in 2008, defeating Lakers teammate Pau Gasol’s Spain. The Warriors are making their second visit to China, with a roster featuring Stephen Curry, the NBA’s record holder for three pointers in one regular season, and NBA All-Stars David Lee and Andre Iguodala.
Tickets go on sale Thursday, Aug. 8 at 3pm via Damai.cn. Hardcore fans can buy team-designated seating via NBAStore.tmall.com, where fans of the Warriors and Lakers can sit together and support their team. Fans that purchase these limited Fan Zone tickets at the NBA Tmall Store will be awarded a limited-edition Warriors or Lakers t-shirt.
The two teams will also play in Shanghai on Oct. 18.
NBA Global Games 2013 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.
This year’s China Open will be celebrating it’s tenth year anniversary and has grown to become one of Asia’s richest tournament in terms of prize money with the ATP winner taking home USD 573,000 as well as 500 points while the WTP winner will take home USD 775,500 as well as 1000 points.
This post first appeared in the beijinger website without the Editor’s Note on August 7th.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
