Macao, September 18, Xinhua News Agency (Reporter Liu Gang, Li Hanfang) The 11th Yao Foundation Charity Tournament in 2023 was staged in Macao on the evening of the 17th, Jeremy Lin, Isaiah Thomas, Fang Shuo, Zhai Xiaochuan and other Chinese and foreign basketball stars joined forces to present wonderful matches, and finally the international basketball star team defeated the Chinese basketball star team 147:144.
Yao Ming, founder of Yao Foundation and chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, said in his pre-match speech that the purpose of organizing charity matches is to support the greater development of school sports in rural areas and help young people achieve healthy growth through sports. The theme of this year's charity competition is "Love the River with Sports People", which means that through the path of sports and the help of charity, we will support young people in rural areas of China to create a healthier and better tomorrow.
On September 17, Yao Ming delivered a speech at the event. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Jinjia
In this game, Fang Shuo, Zhai Xiaochuan, Kelan Baike Makan, Fan Ziming, Chen Linjian, Yuan Shuai and other players of the Chinese basketball star team appeared successively against the international basketball star team composed of Jeremy Lin, Isaiah Thomas, Joseph Yang, Thorne Meck, David James and so on.
The two sides turned on scoring mode from the beginning of the game, and the aerial relay dunk and accurate three-point shooting drew applause from the audience. After halftime, the International Basketball Stars led 79-76.
Jeremy Lin, representing the international basketball star team, at the appearance ceremony on September 17. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Jinjia
In the third quarter, a unique part of the Yao Foundation Charity Tournament was staged, and the young players selected by the Yao Foundation Hope Primary School basketball season played against the two teams, and the score was counted into the overall score. Yao Foundation Hope Primary School Basketball Season is a public welfare project of sports support and education carried out by Yao Foundation in Hope Primary Schools across the country since 2012. The charity tournament provides an international stage for these children who have grown up from the basketball season to show the difference basketball has brought to them. This year's tournament also featured four young players from the Macau Basketball Association.
The young players competed fiercely, winning applause for every layup. Star players such as Zhai Xiaochuan and Thorne Meck have appeared successively and made cameo appearances as organizational defenders of the two teams. Here Zhai Xiaochuan lifted the shortest player on the court to complete the dunk, and Thorne Meck immediately used the color to lift his little teammate from the back court to kill the opponent's basket and complete the dunk, detonating the atmosphere of the whole game. After three quarters, the International Basketball Stars led 103-98.
International Basketball Star Team player Isaiah Thomas (center) during a game on September 17. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Jinjia
In the fourth quarter, Jeremy Lin joined the Chinese basketball star team, and Fang Shuo was transferred to the international team. The two sides continued to play a scoring battle, and Chen Linjian hit consecutive three-pointers, keeping the game suspense until the end. Jeremy Lin missed a long-range three-point shot before the end, and the international basketball stars won 147-144.
The Yao Foundation Charity Tournament is a sports charity event initiated by the Yao Foundation, which has been held for 10 times since 2007 and settled in Macao for the first time this year. The event was initiated and hosted by Beijing Yao Foundation and China Youth Development Foundation, jointly initiated by the Chinese Basketball Association, and co-organized by the Macau Basketball Federation of China and other institutions.
In addition to the main competition of the charity match, the organizers also held a series of activities such as the "Sports for Good" public welfare seminar, campus visits and basketball carnival open to the public on the 16th and 17th.