From "Hello Brooklyn" to "Hello China" for Brooklyn Nets

The Nets will use a "Hello China" marketing theme for their mid-October trip to Shanghai and Beijing, featuring a number of community and business events to promote the team in the world's most populous country.  It will be the Nets second Chinese trip in five years.

The Nets play the Kings on October 12 in Shanghai (Mercedes-Benz Center) and October 15 in Beijing (MasterCard Center). The games are part of NBA Global Games.

Sports Business Journal reports the "Hello China" them, obviously a spinoff from "Hello Brooklyn," will include "a hospitality event in a Beijing Adidas store that will feature Nets branding (including the "Hello China" theme) as well as Nets merchandise and digital signage along with player autograph sessions."

In addition, the team will unveil a refurbished indoor court in Beijing during the trip.

The Nets will have another big plus while in China. Kevin Garnett is arguably the most popular NBA player in the country, with sneaker and sportswear endorsement deals.

"We believe in expanding our bandwidth globally," said Brett Yormark. "Our owner [Mikhail Prokhorov] is from Russia, our naming-rights partner [Barclays] is from the United Kingdom, and we want to establish ourselves as a team that speaks to a global audience."

The Nets and Kings are the only two NBA teams with international ownership, the Kings being owned by Vivek Ranadive, an Indian businessmen who like Prokhorov has global ambitions for his club.   The will fly out of Newark on October 8, the morning after their opening preseason game vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Israeli powerhouse and defending Euroleague championship.  SBJ reports El Al, the Israeli airline, will sponsor that game.

• Nets, Kings see global opportunity - John Lombardo - Sports Business Journal