2018 Yao Foundation Game

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The Yao Foundation, which was initiated by former Chinese professional basketball player Yao Ming, held its 7th charity game in Dalian, Liaoning Province, on Aug. 12.

The first edition of the Yao Ming charity game took place in 2007, with previous games held in Beijing, Taipei, Dongguan, Shanghai, Fuzhou and Hong Kong.

The 2018 charity game was a special one as the Yao Foundation marks its 10th anniversary, since its founding in 2008 when the Wenchuan Earthquake happened.

2018 Yao Fundation Charity Games, China team (in red) vs USA team (in blue), Dalian, Liaoning Province, August 12, 2018 /VCG Photo

For the game, Yao Ming invited seven professional basketball players who are now playing or used to play in NBA to form a USA team, competing with the Chinese all-star team, comprising players from the CBA.

The American team included Kevin Love, Jayson Tatum, Markelle Fultz, Lauri Markkanen, De’Aaron Fox, Gary Payton II and Langston Morris-Walker.

For the Chinese side, the players were Arslan, Hu Mingxuan, Yu Dehao, Zhou Peng, Kyranbek Makhan, Tao Hanlin, Lu Wenbo, Ren Junfei, Hu Jinqiu, Li Xiaoxu, Zhou Zhandong, Wu Qian, Li Yuanyu and Han Dejun.

Hu Mingxuan of China is in action at the Yao Foundation Charity Game, August 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

The charity game had the conventional four periods, but the third one was the most anticipated, as it involved young players who trained to gain skills and sports confidence from the Hope Primary School Basketball Season.

The Chinese team beat the USA team 56-47 after the first two periods, and before the start of the third period, there was an eight-minute exhibition section between two amateur teams consisting of Chinese entertainment celebrities, and a charity penalty shot challenge whose sponsor donated 1,000 yuan for each shot made by selected young Chinese players.

The third period was divided into two parts – 10 and six minutes. The former was played by young players, of which there were boys as well girls; and the latter by some of them and professional players.

Jayson Tatum is in action at the Yao Foundation Charity Game, August 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Even though still very thin and short, Chinese youngsters’ astonishing basketball capacities made audience members cheer. Meanwhile, the tall and strong adult professionals added further recreational value.

The fourth period was for the adults again, and the two sides were mixed with professionals and amateurs. There were little to no national boundaries between teams since both sides exchanged players mutually. And finally, the game became a cool exhibition of basketball prowess as no one cared about the points.

The charity basketball game attracted a lot of audience members and was broadcast live by several sports media outlets.

July 5, 2014: Yao Ming coaches young basketball players in a match of the Yao Foundation Hope Primary School Basketball Season, Leshan, Sichuan Province. /VCG Photo

Yao Ming was not just a celebrity face for the game, but actually contributed a tremendous amount of time to the charity. He went to China’s rural areas to learn more about the difficulties faced by left-behind children, taught them basketball skills, and called for more people, including some fastidious stars, to join his charity efforts.

His speech before the charity game expressed the goal of the Yao Foundation – to build the human spirit through sports. Yao intends to give disadvantaged children a fair environment to cultivate their abilities and to gain positive traits.

Compared to just giving material help, the Yao Foundation also encouraged participants to confront challenges in their future.