Brooklyn Nets hold Chinese New Year celebration at Barclays Center during game

How they celebrated: The Nets reportedly put up a spectacle of red and gold decorations bearing Chinese themes and motifs celebrating the Year of the Dragon around the Barclays Center during Tuesday evening’s game, where the Celtics won 118-110. Similarly, Nets players, who were introduced in Chinese, donned bright red and gold clothing before the match.

Nets small forward and point guard Ben Simmons also announced in a video played before the game that he would donate to Guizhou province, China, this year. Simmons donated a basketball court to Machang Town in Guizhou province in 2023.

Days before the Tuesday evening match, several Nets players appeared in a video wishing Chinese fans a happy Chinese New Year. They also sent best wishes to the fans in Mandarin.

For the fans: Fans also received a red envelope left in their seats, which contained a red bracelet that wished them good fortune this Lunar New Year.

The Nets also organized pre-game performances for fans who arrived early, including a traditional dragon dance by Columbia University’s student dance crew Plus 86. Chinese rapper Wang Yitai, who was named best new artist of the year by NetEase Cloud Music in 2019, showcased his talent during the game’s halftime show.

More details: The celebration was hosted in partnership with Chinese streetwear brand Wah Yan Ching Nin, according to a press release. The brand also teamed up with the Nets to sell a line of merchandise consisting of two crewneck sweatshirts and a T-shirt.

Tony Hu, founder and chairman of the U.S.-China Restaurant Alliance, noted that their hope of introducing Chinese culture and cuisine to fans through the Chinese Cuisine Carnival was successful as some fans were still lining up to taste the food even after the game had already started.

Why the big celebration: Besides the fact that the Brooklyn Nets team is owned by Taiwanese billionaire Joseph Tsai, who was appointed as Alibaba’s new chairman in 2023, millions of Chinese people – as much as approximately 500 million – are fans of the NBA.