Village BA, the purest grassroots basketball event in China
“NBA, CBA, they're not as good as our own村BA.”
After watching a basketball game, an ordinary spectator commented during an interview, The '村BA' (Village BA) event he referred to hails from a small village beneath a county town in Guizhou Province, China, officially known as the Guizhou 'Beautiful Countryside' Basketball League. Originally organized by villagers in 2022, netizens, drawing parallels with world basketball events like the NBA and CBA, playfully dubbed it '村BA'."
The atmosphere at the venue is no less vibrant than that of NBA and CBA games. Image from 36kr
Since the start of the ‘村BA’ games, over 50 media outlets including People's Daily, Xinhua Daily Telegraph and Global Times have live-streamed the matches, with a total broadcast duration exceeding 70 hours and an accumulated viewership surpassing 800 million. Not only has it consistently trended on various online platforms, but its online buzz even rivals that of the World Cup.
Former NBA Houston Rockets player and current chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association Yao Ming joked during an interview, "The games are so hot that I'm not sure if I can get tickets myself." Image from 36kr
The reason behind the immense attention garnered by this competition lies in its embodiment of the purest essence of Chinese basketball. Here, people can freely join the crowd, chat about daily life, cheer for exciting moments, and seek a sense of pride among rural communities. Even the prizes for the first, second, and third-place teams include local specialties such as fragrant rice, sturgeon, and sheldrakes, embodying a rich rural atmosphere and folk flavour.
The game is filled with dense crowds of spectators and a thunderous roar of cheers. Video from @超级草根on Bilibili
NBA superstar Jimmy Butler visited the ‘村BA’ during his China tour in July 2023, interacting with fans. The scene was packed with people, creating an electrifying atmosphere.
NBA star Jimmy Butler made a personal appearance to a Village Basketball game in China. Image from @鞋吧sneakerhead on RED
