WNBA China Derby staged again!After Yao Mingyi Jianlian, they supported the Bridge of China and the United States

Sports big business issue 2970, welcome to pay attention to the leading sports industry information platform

Text | Fu Zhenghao Sports Big Business Reporter

On July 23, Beijing time (Sunday), the highly anticipated WNBA "China Derby" will be staged again. Han Xu's New York Liberty will play against the defending champion of the Chicago Sky Team where Li Yueru is located at home. The three major platforms of Tencent Sports, Migu, and NATO will be broadcast live on Sunday at 7 am. While hundreds of millions of Chinese fans waited, the WNBA Alliance also gave high hopes for the highlight, thinking that this was an excellent opportunity for WNBA to cultivate China and even the Asian market.

Earlier on June 13, Han Xu and Li Yueru had dedicated the first "China Derby" in WNBA history. The game was extremely fierce throughout that game, and the Chicago Sky eventually defeated the freelancer in New York 88 to 86. Han Xu scored 10 points and 2 rebounds in this game, and his performance was remarkable. At that time, Li Yueru, who was in a hurry to go to the United States for only half a month and lacks running in with the team, only gained 6 minutes of appearance time, and won 2 through a free throw. In addition to 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Even so, the first Chinese Derby in the history of WNBA has received great attention and widely praised in China. Now, a month later, the two Chinese women's basketball teams are obviously more suitable for the rhythm of the WNBA game, and the performance of the two people has become more stable, which also makes China Derby more expected.

As Chinese people expect Han Xu and Li Yueru to play a wonderful showdown, the teams where they are located and even the entire WNBA Alliance also hope to spread the brand image of WNBA to China and Asia through this China Derby. As we all know, Cai Chongxin, the owner of the Liberty of New York, has a super high popularity in China. He is also the executive vice chairman of Alibaba Group, a member of the NBA China Board of Directors, and the owner of the NBA Nets. The Chicago Sky Team general manager and coach James Wade, before the beginning of the season, obtained Li Yueru's right to sign the contract before the beginning of the season, is also because of the potential of the Chinese market very much. As for the WNBA president Casey Engelbert, the world-renowned female business leader has unique insights on WNBA's international promotion strategy.

Over the years, the WNBA League has actually had a lot of relationships with China. In the first season after the establishment of the league in 1997, Zheng Haixia, the legend of Chinese women's basketball team, was invited to fight the WNBA League. Since then, Sui Feifei, Miao Lijie, Chen Nan, Han Xu, Li Yueru and other Chinese women's basketball stars have been invited to land on landing. WNBA. In addition, Shao Ting has played the WNBA preseason. Sun Mengran, Li Meng, and Yang Liwei have received the olive branches of the WNBA team ... WNBA undoubtedly attaches great importance to the Chinese market, and this "China Derby" is expected to make WNBA further improve himself in China Influence.

You know, before WNBA this season, the last time two Chinese players performed "China Derby" in the top professional league, and it was dates back to the NBA "Yao Yi War" 12 years ago. Since Yi Jianlian entered the NBA in 2007, every time Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian staged "China Derby", it will attract more than 200 million fans to watch the live broadcast. A peak. After 12 years of hardships, Chinese players finally staged "China Derby" in the top league. The attention and influence of WNBA's gain and influence in China are equally expected. What's more, Han Xu and Li Yueru's landing on WNBA also attracted a large number of Chinese female audiences to start paying attention to basketball and WNBA, which further expanded the breadth of WNBA's spread in China and achieved breaking circles. In the fake time, WNBA is expected to become another bridge for the exchange of cultural exchanges between China and the United States as Cai Chongxin.

Han Xu and Li Yueru gradually entered a good situation, and China Derby's two -time battle was full of highlights

As the representatives of the Chinese Women's Basketball Team, Han Xu and Li Yueru, the two new -generation stars born in 1999, can log in to WNBA in the early stages of career, which is very lucky. In contrast, their predecessors can only test WNBA for a short time in addition to the national team competitions. Among them, Zheng Haixia and Chen Nan have only been allowed to fight WNBA in their careers. Once comparison, Han Xu and Li Yueru began to fight for WNBA, the world's top women's basketball league in the early days of their careers, undoubtedly helping them to comprehensively improve their ball skills and spread the most cutting -edge basketball concepts in the country today.

Although Han Xu and Li Yueru were selected at the 2019 WNBA Draft, the situation of the two was different since then. Han Xu was selected by Cai Chongxin's New York Liberal Team and was regarded as the most perfect draft result. Then she immediately landed on WNBA. In the rookie season, she actively integrated into the team's tactical and locker room culture. The team also attaches great importance to Han Xu. Cultivation, the team owner Cai Chongxin praised Han Xu's development prospects and gave high hopes. (Extended reading: "Han Xu Draft Log in to WNBA, and the New York Liberty who joined Cai Chongxin is the best result")

Although the WNBA career temporarily suspended the WNBA career after the epidemic, Han Xu has been actively communicating with the free people. After returning to the team this season, Han Xu, as a second -year player, is even more ease of the field and outside the field. It is particularly worth mentioning that Han Xu often promoted China's gourmet culture to his teammates in the locker room. Before the New York free person defender Dur was traded to leave the team, Han Xu wrote: "I hope that everything will go well in the future, you will always be your future, you will always be your future. My best friend, when you come to China next time, I will bring you a phoenix claw, see you! "In order to help Han Xu better integrate into the team, the Liberty team found two translations for Han Xu. Han Xu's English level has improved rapidly. Han Xu said that she can understand 80%of the content on the court. Han Xu is currently not only the team's fourth scorers and the highest player in the team, but also the strong competitors of the best sixth person in WNBA this season. player of. Recently, she just scored a single game for 12 of 12 shots to score 24 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. This data was obtained in 19 minutes. The high efficiency was amazing.

As for the process of Li Yueru's landing in WNBA, it can only be described as good things. After being selected by the Atlanta Dream Team in 2019, for some objective reasons, Li Yueru failed to go to the United States as soon as possible. As the MVP of the 2019 WCBA Finals, Li Yueru is undoubtedly a rare cornerstone star of WCBA, which is deeply focused on the mother and national team. Li Yueru had to make some economic sacrifice for the Dream WNBA since then. After waiting for Li Yueru to fail, the Dream Team traded the draft right to the Los Angeles Spark. Since then, the Chicago Sky Team has won Li Yueru's draft rights through the transaction. Until May of this year, Li Yueru was officially approved to go to the United States to fight the WNBA League.

In mid -May of this year, the Hangzhou Asian Games determined to be extended. The Chinese women's basketball team has no competition task for the time being, so Li Yueru hurried to the United States. He arrived in Chicago on May 26, so that he failed to conduct a systematic practice with the team. He lacked a basic understanding of the team's tactics and teammates. Dai Dian. In addition, her Chicago Sky Team is the defending champion, and the team's lineup thick leads the league. For these reasons, Li Yueru, a WNBA rookie, was difficult to get enough time for a while.

Before the first "China Derby" match, Han Xu invited Li Yueru to eat hot pot and taught the experience of the people, thus alleviating Li Yueru's first arrival anxiety. Li Yueru bluntly said: "Han Xu told me not to worry. After the running -in period with the team, everything will be good. I am very suitable for the style characteristics of this team. The team can make me progress and help me improve the defense conversion and The shortcomings of offensive flexibility. When you come to the United States at first, you need to worry about your own diet, but after the past 3 weeks, you have gradually adapted. "

After gradually adapting to the rhythm of life inside and outside the WNBA arena, Li Yueru's recent performance obviously became more confident and confident at the beginning of the season, and the cooperation with his teammates has gradually become a tacit understanding. James Wade, the general manager and coach of the Chicago Sky Team, also relieved Li Yueru many times to help him integrate into the team.

Given that the state of the two people is gradually getting better, the performance of the two in the "China Derby" in the "China Derby" is destined to be more expected. In addition, the current record of the Sky Team leads the league, and the free man is extremely eager to boost the morale by defeating the opponent. What's more, the two teams as representatives of professional sports teams in the two major cities in New York and Chicago. Historical grievances are constant. Almost every time the road meets, Mars is always splashed. In short, the highlight and excitement of this game is probably better than the last "China Derby."

WNBA has a deep relationship with China, and Kobe has been named because of helping the league promotion

When the long -lost "China Derby" reproduces the world's top professional sports league, this not only makes the Chinese quite proud and proud. In turn, the WNBA League also values ​​the promotion value of the "China Derby" to the league.

As mentioned earlier, the NBA "China Derby" led by Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian at that time has a live broadcast of 200 million viewers in China. Today, WNBA also attaches great importance to Han Xu and Li Yueru's "China Derby". The entire Asia will become an important market for WNBA overseas, and is convinced that WNBA can become another important bridge for Sino -US folk sports and cultural exchanges. Among them, Cai Chongxin, a freelance boss of New York, is undoubtedly an active promoter of the Sino-US basketball cultural exchanges, and WNBA President Cathy Engelbert is also looking forward to "China Derby".

Wnba President Cathy Engelbert is a female business leader with a very dazzling resume. She has worked in Deloitte in the world's four major accounting firms for 33 years and has served as chairman and CEO of Deloitte Audit subsidiary. In 2015, Engelbert became the first female CEO in Deloitte's history. In the 2018 "Fortune" magazine's annual most powerful women's list, Engelbert ranked 18th. Since then, under the invitation of the NBA president Adam Xiao Hua, Engelbert served as the president of the WNBA Alliance in 2019.

Xiao Hua hopes that Engelbert can lead WNBA to a new stage of development: "Engelbert is a world -class business leader, at the same time, she also has a deep relationship with basketball. Engelbert is the leader WNBA to enter The ideal candidate in the new stage. Engelbert's more than 30 years of business and operation experience will benefit WNBA. She can bring stronger revenue capabilities, more keen entrepreneurial instincts and more mature management to the alliance. " A major contribution to WNBA is to attach importance to the international promotion of WNBA, and then use WNBA's international influence to attract those American big -name companies that value brand internationalization to sponsor WNBA. It must be acknowledged that American professional sports are highly developed, and WNBA, a women's professional sports alliance, can occupy a place in the American sports market with such fierce competition, which is inseparable from its international promotion strategy. WNBA has actively introduced international players since the first season of 1997. When the season attracted 15 stars from 14 countries including China, Brazil, Russia, and Australia to participate (including Zheng Haixia, the legend of Chinese women's basketball team), and the total player in the alliance The number of quantities reached 16%. In the second season, international players increased to 33, accounting for 27.5%.

Although the WNBA League is the highest -level women's professional sports alliance in the world, long -term commercial revenue is not satisfactory, and NBA is often required to give subsidies. After all, if it is purely based on the game, WNBA cannot be compared with the NBA at all. However, Engelbert believes that the special value of the WNBA League is that today's global women have begun to pay attention to the equality of men and women, and WNBA has established a healthy, vibrant, united, and fair sports concept for women in the field of professional sports. It will undoubtedly further spread the concept of women's equality, not only to win the support of women worldwide, but also promote women's sports culture to male fans.

In recent years, more and more people have begun to attach importance to the promotion value of WNBA on the equality of men and women. The NBA legendary star Kobe was actively running around to promote WNBA and women's basketball. He not only often took his daughter to the scene to help the WNBA game, but also set up a game for women's basketball for women's basketball. He also personally served as a coach where the second daughter, Giana Bryant was located, and Jiana was optimistic that Kobe could become a WNBA player in the future. Unfortunately, in January 2020, Kobe unfortunately occurred when he rushed to his daughter's game at the helicopter, and all nine people were killed on the plane.

In order to pay tribute to Kobe, after WNBA crashed in the Kobe, not only announced that Kobe's secondary daughter Ji Anna Bryant and Alsha Altberry and Peton-Chest, who were killed by the same opportunity, became WNBA honorary rookies, In addition, Kobe & Gigi Bryant Wnba Advocacy Awards are set up in the name of Kobe and the following female Ji Anna Bryant. The award aims to recognize individuals or groups who have made outstanding contributions to the development of women's basketball and publicize WNBA.

Engelbert believes: "Establishing this award will inspire people to take over Kobe's relay stick, give the next generation of players guidance, promote women's basketball development, and give back to the society." During the NBA All -Star Game in 2022, WNBA officials will be the first Kobe & Gigi Bryant Wnba Advocacy Award awarded the Suns superstar Chris Paul. When speaking, Paul also called on the world to inherit Kobe's legacy and promote WNBA and women's basketball together.

There is no doubt that Kobe is one of the most popular international sports superstars in China. After understanding Kobe's promotion contribution to WNBA, I believe that more Chinese basketball fans will actively embrace the WNBA league. What's more, WNBA has attached great importance to Chinese elements since its establishment. In 1997, Zheng Haixia joined the Los Angeles Spark. This was two years earlier than Wang Zhizheng's selection of the NBA. Since then, Sui Feifei and Miao Lijie joined the Sacramento monarch team in 2005. In 2009, Chen Nan joined the Chicago Sky Team. Selected, Li Meng, Sun Mengran, and Yang Liwei also received an invitation from the WNBA team in the same year. Obviously, WNNBA has always attached great importance to Chinese players and the Chinese market.

At present, in the field of sports, Chinese female athletes have relatively stronger competitive achievements and overall strengths in the world than male compatriots. The Chinese women's volleyball team, Chinese women's basketball, and Chinese women's football team are typical cases. In the Chinese Olympic lighting system, many women's project national teams are the absolute main force of winning the gold. They are the "half of the sky" that they support Chinese sports. The spokesperson.

Therefore, with the gradual increase of women's sports value, Chinese women's athletes have more opportunities to go abroad and board the world's top sports stage than male compatriots, and they have the opportunity to gain a foothold on the top stage and become the image of China.Spokesperson.Han Xu and Li Yueru are typical representatives.With the continuous improvement of WNBA's "China Derby", WNBA will be destined to become another bridge for Sino -US folk sports and cultural exchanges in the future.Note: The pictures used in this article are from the Internet

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