Principally due to the success of its Chinese superstar players, the NBA is the world's most popular sports brand.
An estimated 200 million Chinese watched the November 11 NBA regular season game televised from Houston. That number dwarfs the 34 million viewers for the NFL's Superbowl-calibre teams, the New England Patriots versus the Indianapolis Colts.
The presence of Chinese giant Yao Ming on the Houston Rockets facing off against Oriental rookie titan Yi Jianlian on the Milwaukee Bucks roster no doubt boosted interest from the People's Republic audience.
This interest no doubt will translate into huge NBA merchandise sales in China. Based in China, top global trade site alibaba.com lists 80 buying leads for NBA products. The Chinese audience solidifies the NBA's position as sports' leading global brand.
China itself hopes to improve its standing as a global brand via a mutually beneficial relationship with the NBA. In fact, some pundits write that basketball may introduce an international version of soccer's immensely popular World Cup.
China can use the 2008 Beijing Olympics to elevate its standing as a key international business audience and sponsor for the National Basketball Association.
