In preparation for an upcoming NBA trip to China, free agent Dwight Howard and Washington Wizards guard John Wall got together to work on their Mandarin. The Houston Rockets' strong ties to China, the NBA's largest overseas market, could seal the deal for Howard in free agency.
Howard and Wall practiced Mandarin with former NBA player Yi Jianlian, who now plays for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball League. The video was released to advertise their upcoming trip to China, according to Sporting News.
China, a "basketball-mad nation," is the league's biggest overseas market, according to Variety. Stars such as Yao Ming and Jeremy Linn have furthered China's interest in the sport - the NBA's Chinese website logged 4.5 billion page views this year.
As China's passion for basketball grows, so do the NBA's marketing opportunities. Howard traveled with the NBA last summer to China, and he's scheduled to do so again this summer. The bigger a star he becomes in China, the more endorsement deals he's likely to be offered.
Would a team with a strong presence in the Chinese market be enough to sway Howard to sign?
No. But it could be the cherry on top for a team he's already interested in.
ESPN analyst J.A. Adande recently discussed on "NBA Coast to Coast" why he believes Howard will sign with the Rockets (via the Dallas Morning News' SportsDay):
"I like Houston. Would you rather be playing with James Harden or Dirk Nowitzki four years from now? I think the obvious answer would be James Harden. But also consider the off the field elements of going to Houston.
"Dwight Howard wants to (be) a global icon. If you want to have a big impact in China, why not play on a team that already has connections to the Chinese market thanks to Yao Ming's presence there and now the addition of Jeremy Linn so the off court marketing aspects are perfectly suited for Houston."
Houston already has strong ties with China because of Ming and Linn. They also have a playoff-contending team behind emerging star James Harden. Although Houston doesn't have a large market like the Los Angeles Lakers do, the club can offer Howard a legitimate chance to compete for NBA titles - something the Lakers might not be able to do with the impending repeater tax, luxury tax restrictions and Kobe Bryant's eventual retirement.
If Howard is at all torn between certain teams, the marketing potential in China could be enough to land him with the Rockets.
