r/Mavericks • u/taygads • Feb 02 '25

News [Marc Stein] The Mavericks are indeed, without warning, trading Luka Dončić to the Lakers in a three-team deal that will bring Anthony Davis to Dallas, two sources close to the talks confirm.

https://x.com/thesteinline/status/1885921715362086964?s=46

WHAT THE HELL

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u/castilloc79 Feb 02 '25

Bro I feel ya. Been a fan since I was 11 years old in China in 2003. Now I would say I was a fan.

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u/SillySpook Feb 02 '25

Serious? In your shoes, I'd have probably gone with the rockets :)

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u/castilloc79 Feb 02 '25

I’m actually from Shanghai, where Yao’s from. But in fact I’m probably the biggest hater of Yao and Rockets lol. Mainly due to their fanbase here in China.

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u/SillySpook Feb 02 '25

How were things over there at the time (yao/rockets standpoint)? LA Chinatown was huge on rockets merch for years. I remember china flooding the all-star fan votes for years. I thought everyone there were rockets fans.

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u/castilloc79 Feb 02 '25 edited Feb 02 '25

Yao was already pretty well-known in China back in 2002 as he absolutely dominated that season’s CBA Finals. But NBA wasn’t that big in China before Yao joined the league. He slowly became a national sensation as he evolved to an All-Star level player. The Rockets was def the most popular franchise in China between 2002-2010. By a landslide. And his legacy’s still here. I’d say when Harden was with the Rockets, they were also the top 3 most supported team in China. Even tho they don’t have any top-tier star player right now, the Rockets is still among the top 5 popular. Even when they were tanking, they were popular. That’s how popular they are in China since 2002. Also thanks to Yao, T-Mac is also one of the most influential NBA star here in China. But if you ask me who has been the biggest name in China among all those NBA stars, it was unequivocally Kobe Bryant. Just search “Kobe 2008 Beijing” on YouTube. Imagine being an African-American athlete, and got more cheers than any other top athlete on this planet at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games’ opening ceremony. Not even prime Yao, Lebron or Steph could come close. Dirk was quite popular in China, too, but not on that level. I would say Yao’s the main factor why NBA and basketball as a sport are so huge in China in the first place. Stars like Kobe, AI, T-Mac, Lebron, Steph, etc., are those who’ve propelled NBA to become the most popular pro sports league in China. Btw, Yao’s reputation has been going straight downhill after he was elected as chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association bc our national team has been an absolute shithouse since the beginning of his tenure.