The NBA's relationship with China was cemented in 1989 when then-Commissioner David Stern showed up at China Central Television with a bag of video cassettes to convince the station's executives that the NBA was worth showing to hundreds of millions of basketball fans across China.

Michael "Air" Jordan won over Chinese fans with his magical performances, shown on the TV screen. But it was Yao Ming's success in the NBA that resulted in the league's popularity exploding in the country.

Having led the Shanghai Sharks to their first, and to date, only, CBA title, the then-22-year-old center was drafted by the Houston Rockets as No 1 overall in 2002 on his way to becoming a seven-time All-Star.