Both Doncic, Tatum eye new NBA season's championship, state during China tour
发布日期：2024-09-02 23:38 点击次数：153
NBA stars Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum praised China's passion for basketball during their recent tour, where they engaged with fans and shared their excitement for the upcoming season.
by sportswriter Cao Yibo
BEIJING, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Four Air Jordan-signed NBA stars concluded their four-day China tour on Sunday, with Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum sitting down for an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Beijing. They praised the basketball passion in China, extended their greetings to Chinese fans, and shared their thoughts on the upcoming season.
EXPERIENCING CHINA'S BASKETBALL ENTHUSIASM
Doncic, Tatum, Paolo Banchero and Zion Williamson started their China tour on August 29 in Shanghai, where they enjoyed the iconic night views along the Huangpu River and interacted with fans on a street basketball court. Upon arriving in Beijing on Saturday, the group, joined by Chinese players Guo Ailun and Yang Shuyu, visited the Great Wall and held a coaching session for children at a local gym.
Reflecting on the trip, the Dallas Mavericks star guard Doncic said, "China has an incredible basketball culture. You can see the passion people here have for the game, and interacting with the fans was a special experience."
Despite it being his fourth visit to China, the Boston Celtics forward Tatum found it was just as joyful as previous trips. "It's been special to be here. It's been a lot of fun experiencing the culture, I've been in China three times, and it's been a few years since last time. So coming back and seeing the support of the fans, how much they love the game of basketball and the NBA, and how excited they are to see us has been a lot of fun. And I look forward to coming back as much as I can," Tatum told Xinhua.
Tatum was particularly touched by the gifts he received from fans. "The fans have given me a lot of pictures of me and [my son] Deuce that they've made or they've drawn. That was really special and some of that I was able to show my mom and Deuce and I'll take home to bring it to the house," he added.
DONCIC: HOPEFULLY COMMITMENT TO DALLAS
Before the China tour, Doncic returned to his homeland Slovenia to participate in a star-studded farewell match for fellow Slovenian star Goran Dragic. Regarding his compatriot, Doncic shared that Dragic holds a special place in his heart and deserved a grand send-off for his "amazing" career.
Looking ahead to the new season, Doncic is focused on leading the Mavericks to a championship. Despite falling short last season in the Finals against Tatum's Celtics, Doncic remained optimistic about the team's chances after offseason acquisitions. "Our goal remains the same - to win the NBA championship. We had some new players joining during the offseason, and now we look great."
When asked about the idea of being a "one-club man" like Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Dirk Nowitzki, Doncic, who has been with the Mavericks since entering the league in 2018, expressed his desire to make the same commitment to Dallas.
TATUM: HUNGRY FOR MORE CHAMPIONSHIPS
For Tatum, 2024 has been a banner year. After leading the Celtics to an NBA championship in June, he went on to win a gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Olympics, his second Olympic gold following the Tokyo one in 2021.
Reflecting on last season's championship win, Tatum still finds it "unbelievable."
"We finally won the NBA championship, something we've been working towards for a long time. It was a dream that came true, and it felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders," he said.
Despite holding both an Olympic gold medal and an NBA championship trophy, Tatum's motivation remained strong. "I know how good it feels to win a championship and that feeling is unmatched. So I'm looking forward to doing it again."
He also reminded his teammates to focus on the future: "We still won the championship and we still got some time to enjoy it. But when the season starts, we need to put that behind us and just try to get better for the next season."
The new NBA 2K cover player, who recently signed a five-year, 315 million U.S. dollars contract extension with the Celtics, was determined to stay grounded. He mentioned that his long-standing agreement with his mother remains in place: he only spends money from endorsements, while his NBA salary goes straight into savings. ■