NBA China Games 2012 will feature two games between the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct 11 at the MasterCard Center in Beijing and Oct 14 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai.
This marks the sixth edition of NBA China Games and the first time the reigning NBA champion will compete in the event. The two teams feature nine players who have been NBA All-Stars, three NBA Finals Most Valuable Players, and five Olympic gold medalists.
The Heat's roster includes three-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, seven-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh and 2008 NBA champion Ray Allen.
The Clippers' roster includes Blake Griffin, winner of the 2011 Slam Dunk champion, five-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul, 2004 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, and two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom.
Eight NBA teams will participate in a total of eight international games this October as part of the league's 2012 marquee international preseason schedule, which also includes NBA Europe Live presented by BBVA and the first-ever NBA Canada Series.
To date, the NBA has staged 107 preseason and regular season games in 17 countries and territories across Europe, the Americas and Asia since 1988.
In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to play games in China, with two games between the Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings in Shanghai and Beijing. Following NBA China Games 2012, the league will have hosted 13 games in China since 2004.