A basketball game takes place in the FIBA House of Basketball in Shanghai. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

China's first FIBA House of Basketball was unveiled in Shanghai on May 21 as part of the newly established Rucker Park SSR Sports and Entertainment Center at the Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center. The sports center, developed by Luohe Sports Group, now houses the country's first FIBA House of Basketball.

This collaborative project between Luohe Sports Group and FIBA stems from their partnership, which began during the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where Shanghai was one of the host cities. Dai Fuqi, CEO of Luohe Sports Group, announced that the two entities will deepen their cooperation in various areas, including basketball venue and youth basketball training.

Patrick Mariller, COO of FIBA, highlighted the significance of establishing the world's second FIBA House of Basketball in Shanghai. He expressed FIBA's commitment to introducing the House of Basketball concept and a new basketball experience to China, a country with the largest basketball population globally. Mariller noted that one in every five Chinese plays basketball, indicating immense potential for further basketball development in China.

Mariller emphasized plans to leverage the Basketball House to foster youth basketball, including organizing youth challenge matches like 3v3 games. He praised Shanghai's Basketball House as a stellar model and anticipates the proliferation of dozens of Basketball Houses across China.

The world's first FIBA House of Basketball is situated at the FIBA global headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Source: Shanghai Observer