NBA players enjoy trip across China
Upon returning from their Great Wall hike, Doncic visited a local Jordan Brand store to meet with fans. One fan was overcome with emotions after shaking Doncic's hand and confessing that "all her dreams came true" by meeting the Mavericks playmaker face-to-face.
"Yeah, it's definitely true (that the fans love the NBA and the game so much in China). I appreciate that so much with those moments (of being enthusiastically welcomed by fans), you always need to remember those are special moments," said Doncic.
On the final day of their visit on Sunday, the athletes visited the Jordan World of Flight Beijing Sanlitun retail store, met with fans and participated in a Q&A session.
On the final day evening, the four stars surprised local street ball players by stopping by the finale of Next Stop Dongdan — a popular streetball tournament in Beijing. Each athlete participated in the games, threw down some dunks, made shots, and wowed those in the crowd.
"I would say the passion here from the fans is unmatched," Banchero said of the electrifying vibe at the streetball tournament.
"Honestly just the excitement, the amount of time and like the gifts and the pictures, like the guy gave me a gift today, and he had pictures that I hadn't even seen, so it was crazy; I had to ask him how he got."
Williamson said the China trip helped open his eyes to the impact of basketball on and off the court.
"Basketball can change people's lives," he said. "Basketball has brought me to China, which is crazy. But being in China has shown me even more the global impact that the game has and the global impact that Michael (Jordan) has had on the game. I know I said a lot, I'm just grateful to be here, and I'm just grateful for the opportunity."