NBA Warrior Stephen Curry plays the Terracotta Warrior
NBA MVP Stephen Curry demonstrates ancient Chinese armor presented by a female fan as a gift in Beijing on Sunday. Sun XiaoChen / China Daily |
China's Terracotta Warriors have impressed a lot of foreign visitors over the years, and NBA superstar Stephen Curry had his own impersonation of the Chinese cultural icon on Sunday in the Beijing leg of his three-day tour of China.
Curry, the Golden State Warriors' star and reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, impersonated an ancient Chinese warrior by putting on a suit of Chinese armor presented by a local fan as a gift at the launch of his China tour in Beijing's 751 D-Park on Sunday.
Curry's appearance in a Chinese helmet received a thundering ovation from hundreds of diehard Chinese supporters, who waved his posters while chanting his name from the sidelines of an indoor half court in the park.
It was the All-Star guard's second visit to China after the NBA Global Games trip in 2013 and the first after he won the NBA championship with the Warriors in the past 2014-15 season.
"(Compared to last time), I came back with a championship this time, and I can see the passion of Chinese fans (for basketball) is growing," said the 27-year-old.
The 1.91-meter guard has become the most prolific shooter in NBA history after setting an NBA record of most 3-pointers (286) in a regular season, in 2015.
During the fan-interactive activity on Sunday, Curry demonstrated his exquisite shooting skill in a 3-point shootout with four selected fans before rewarding them with sneakers and t-shirts with his autograph.
The Beijing tour also witnessed the global launch of his second signature basketball shoe, the Curry Two, with US sportswear brand Under Armour, which signed Curry to be a brand ambassador in 2013.
After the fan session, Curry visited Tsinghua University High School to take part in a training session with student players while sharing his knowledge of the game with them.
As part of Under Armour's Road Show branding campaign in Asia, Curry will visit Chongqing and Shanghai on Monday and Tuesday.
sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn