Sasha Vujacic took some time off of his busy EuroBasket schedule to pay a visit to the People’s Republic of China, where his corporate sponsor, PEAK is based. Sasha visited the Chinese cities of Beijing, Chengdu, and Quanzhou, where PEAK’s headquarters is located. He was greeted with a warm welcome, with cameras and interviews in tow. An amusing fact is that the Chinese people have their very own pronunciation of Sasha’s surname Vujacic. Although the actual pronunciation of Vujacic is “Vu-ya-chich,” the Chinese fondly pronounce his surname, “Vu-ya-chi-chi.”

While in China, Sasha also presented a school in Chengdu that was badly affected by the Great Sichuan Earthquake in May 2008. The earthquake’s epicenter was three miles from the school, so Sasha was in the area that was the most affected. With former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo, he presented the school a check for 50 million RMB on behalf of PEAK and the Mutombo Foundation. He also cheered on the school’s sports teams while watching them play. However, he also showed everyone some of his basketball skills. He shot the difficult half court shot and the crowd went wild with excitement. Sasha and Dikembe also signed autographs for hundreds of fans, requiring about 100 police officers to contain the crowd. In addition to visiting the school, Sasha shot a commercial for PEAK as part of his schedule.

As the country with the largest population in the world at 1.3 billion, China housed well-known ancient civilizations. Such civilizations include the Han and Ming Dynasties, the latter credited with building the currently standing Great Wall of China. In addition to its rich cultural background, China added sports to its historical resume when it hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, a China native, has also put China on the basketball map as the first Chinese player to be acquired by the NBA. In fact, China also has its very own basketball league, the Chinese Basketball Association, or CBA. NBA players such as Yao, Sasha’s Laker teammate Sun Yue, and the New Jersey Nets’ Yi Jianlian have also played for the CBA.

With the third highest economy in the world, China may be considered a promise land for the cultivation of NBA and basketball fans. The NBA has formed a partnership in China as NBA games are aired in China. In 2004, NBA teams such as the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings have also traveled to China to play preseason games in Beijing and Shanghai and gave Chinese fans their NBA fix. Visits from NBA players like Sasha have fed China’s ever-growing fascination of the NBA and the sport of basketball. In addition to Sasha, his Laker teammate Kobe Bryant and the reigning NBA regular season MVP Lebron James are among the many NBA players that have visited China in the past.

Due to Sasha’s positive reception by the Chinese people, the basketball-loving nation of China will be sure to anticipate his next visit.

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