Some 30,000 people gather in Taipan village, Southwest China's Guizhou Province on March 27, 2023 to watch the Village Basketball Association. Photo: VCG

Brooklyn Nets point guard Ben Simmons has donated a basketball court to Machang town of Gui'an New Area in Southwest China's Guizhou province. It comes after a local basketball tournament received nationwide attention. 

Simmons announced in January that he would donate money to build a basketball court in China.

"I first visited China to play basketball when I was 16 and then again as an NBA player. I always enjoy visiting as the people and the fans are always so welcoming, and love basketball," he said.

"My wish is to bring the joy of basketball to more people, so I wanted to donate a court to help places where people love the game and can benefit from new facilities," he added.

A local basketball tournament in Guizhou, widely known as Cun BA - "cun" means village in Chinese - has attracted widespread attention across China. The finals, held in March, drew more than 30,000 spectators on site, along with millions watching online.

"I hope this court will benefit the local people. I hear people in Guizhou have amazing local basketball tournaments, and they just had this year's final. I wish the people of Guizhou all the best, and hopefully will get to see them soon in the future," said Simmons.

Huang Ping, Consul General of the Chinese Consulate in New York, said the American NBA and the "Village BA" in Guizhou have drawn his attention recently, as the two events, although being thousands of miles apart, are motivating basketball fans. 

Ben Simmons Photo: Xinhua

"They both demonstrate the common love of the people of the two countries for basketball, the common pursuit of sports spirit, and the common yearning for a better life," Huang said.

Huang thanked Simmons for his donation, a move that has linked the two countries through basketball. 

"It builds a friendship bridge to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between China and the US," Huang said.

Li Pengcheng, a senior official of Machang, also noted that although the sports venue conditions in Machang are relatively undeveloped, the local people's enthusiasm for basketball has always been strong.

"Rural basketball games are held here with great enthusiasm. Simmons' donation will create better field conditions for local basketball enthusiasts, create a stronger basketball atmosphere, and promote civil sports exchanges," Li said.